I am a HUGE fan of Virgin. I love Richard Branson. His no nonsense yet playful gutsy approach to business has always inspired me to be true to myself, regardless of all the distracting forces of conformity on how businesses should be run.
Joe Ferry, Head of Design, Virgin Atlantic. Image courtesy of DMI.
To see how the creative team of Virgin Atlantic led by Joe Ferry, use design to differentiate the Virgin brand and placed the company as one of the most innovative airline company in the world, is simply remarkable. With a bit of humor and play, the design team carried their brand vision from print to the interiors of the plane, their clubhouses, all the way through their TV commercials, without ever compromising the details, quality and experience of the brand.(Check out this Q&A with Joe Ferry from WallPaper* Magazine)
An in-cabin shot of Ferry's crowning glory, the Virgin Upper Class deck. Image from WallPaper*.
Ever world-beating, one of Joe Ferry's proudest design moments is his gigantic cocktail bar featured in Heathrow's Terminal five lounge. Image from WallPaper*.
Alan Webber came on next. As a small business owner, this aspect of DMI conference is the part that I enjoy most; having the opportunity to engage with entrepreneurs in an open discussion.
Alan Webber author of Rules of Thumb. Image courtesy of DMI.
Alan asked 3 questions:
1. Why is design hot right now?
{ Design is differentiation. Great design wins.}
2. What is the real purpose of design?
{ Design is a sense making tool. Clear job of design is to solve problems. }
3. What is the next great challenge facing design?
{ Hesitation to change. But change happens when the cost of status quo is greater than the risk of change. }
To top this great experience, I was exhilarated to sit next to Alan for lunch the next day and had a great discussion with a group of intriguing minds. We covered topics from GM to union workers, American laborers, social changes, the economy, politics and of course brand management. Which led us to thinking that there should be a study on measuring “change” in the USA, against other countries around the globe since CULTURE plays a huge role in our economic policies.
The day ended with breakout sessions held by Selena Griffith, with groups given assignments on how to use “design” to tackle issues (raised in the Live Futures 2020 presentation) ranging from security to health and sustainability.