I'm absolutely thrilled that Ralph Gilles was chosen as the subject for the auto design episode of "Abstract: The Art of Design." Partially because I knew so little about Gilles beyond his work and his reputation, and partially because he's that rarest of designers—a business-savvy one. (Gilles got an MBA from Michigan State in the early 2000s.

As for that reputation: Since graduating from CCS in 1992, Gilles was snapped up by Chrysler. He was subsequently promoted to Manager within the design office, then Senior Manager, then Director. By 2008 he was VP of Design, then Senior VP; By 2009 he was President and CEO of Dodge. 

Following the merger with Fiat, Gilles was promoted in 2015 to Head of Design, Global, for Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. Involved early in his career with Chrysler's groundbreaking 300 and later the Dodge Charger, among other models, Gilles now overseas the design for Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Dodge, Fiat, Jeep, Maserati and Ram.

Series creator Dadich does a masterful job of unpacking Gilles' fascinating backstory while following along with the high-stakes venture unfolding on camera: Gilles leads a team to develop, against the clock, the radical SM-1 concept car to be presented to FCA boss Sergio Marchionne. If greenlit, the SM-1 could literally be the future of the company.

The sheer pressure of undertaking such a venture is unique to the auto design industry. To develop an entirely new car from scratch can cost a billion dollars and take five years. The car must continue to look fresh throughout the first three to six years of its service life, meaning Gilles and co. are essentially trying to design for 11 years into the future.

As with the footwear design episode, there's plenty of eye-candy on show here, from Gilles at Italy's famous Mille Miglia race poring over drop-dead gorgeous vintage Italian exotics; pursuing his track passion back home with an SRT Viper; and Gilles and the design teams' sketches and full-scale mockups.

Among other illuminating moments, Gilles covers how cars transcend design and impact society, moving into the realms of tastemaking and pop cultural consciousness, as well as spawning communities of enthusiasts around particular models. And he reveals his own inner conflict with the inevitable rise of autonomous cars.

Some of the things you'll learn about by watching this episode:

- Game-changing auto design history tidbits

- Why "interiors have become the new battleground" between brands

- Automotive designers, too, have to deal with Jimmy-Kimmel-worthy Mean Tweets

- The letter he received from Chrysler as a 14-year-old boy that later changed his life

- Why he watched "The Dukes of Hazzard" religiously

- The challenges of designing for Millennials

- What an auto design crit looks like at the corporate level

There's plenty more, of course, but I don't want to spoil the viewing. In addition to the look behind the curtain, I found the human aspects of this episode very compelling. With that I'll say no more and encourage you to go watch it.

(This is not a paid plug for Netflix, but I feel I must point out, as I would to any of my friends, that Netflix is offering a free one-month trial. Plenty of time for you to check this episode out without having to commit to signing up. Watch it, you won't be sorry.)

Orbitkey transforms your cluster of keys into a beautiful and organized stack—eliminating key jingles, scratches and bulk associated with traditional key rings, making your keys easier to carry. With the range of accessories available, including a bottle opener, multi-tool and USB drive, the Orbitkey also helps you get things done faster.

Taking an outside in approach—leaving behind all preconceptions of existing keychains, every feature of the Orbitkey has been considered and designed with purpose.

Carry Keys Better

Effortless Access

Open design on both left and right hand side to improve key accessibility

Better Comfort

Opening doors become easier and more comfortable with the extra leverage and soft material enveloping the keys.

Accessories Range

Thoughtfully designed accessories, slim enough that they take up less room in the pocket.

Black PVD Stainless Steel Hardware

Locking Mechanism Sketches + Prototypes

We've spent countless hours coming up with something unique – an integrated locking mechanism that is highly adaptable and secure.

In case you weren't looking for adventurous and fast acting resources for soul crushing anxiety back in 2015, let me put you on some weird but promising Japanese game. Think of how babies chill out when they're swaddled up, or, for you fellow non-parents, remember that cat burrito meme? Otonamaki is basically that. 

It's a fringe practice, but popular. After wrapping arms, legs and head close to the body with taut fabric, you're treated to 20 minutes of the therapeutic sensation that your adult human body has transformed into a potato sack that still has unpaid bills. Assuming you haven't panicked and bailed, or started speaking in dead tongues. 

Proponents of Otonamaki claim that it realigns the spine and brings better "balance." First pioneered by a Japanese midwife, it is still thought to relieve back and joint pain, and even increase flexibility. Physiologically the practice isn't without its detractors, as some doctors find the imprecise constriction dubious at best. And anyone rational finds these human cheesecloths at very least unsettling.

Though the body mechanics are still up in the air, there might be some validity to mummification's emotionally soothing side effects. Light compression around the torso and neck (like hugging) has been shown to increase dopamine production, and correlate with effective self-soothing and emotional regulation. 

Creepy as it is, and dire though straits may be, a bed sheet is still a bit more reasonable than a $1,500 cardboard screaming box. 

In southwestern France is a company called Beauer, which manufactures extendable caravans. You've probably seen "slide-outs" on RVs before, but in this case the slide-out triples the square footage:

My French isn't great, but in the first part of the video he's saying this is the new generation of their product line, more comfortable, more customizable than previous iterations. In the second half of the video he loses me, but I'm 99% sure he's commenting on American politics since that seems to be all anyone can talk about these days.

Here's a longer, unnarrated and unedited video that gives you a good look at the interior and its features:

They're also working on this big-ass model, below, which should be ready by 2018.

The design of LED desk lamps all have a disappointing sameness to them; their creators seem unable to shake the traditional bulb-using form factor, and still think of a flat, weighted base and a stalk reaching upwards to support the light source. These are essentially just skinner, flatter versions of what existed before.

In contrast, Czech model painting enthusiast Matyáš Hošek came up with something completely different, designed specifically for the nature of his work. Hošek took a two-meter strip of aluminum, lined it with an LED strip and screwed both ends down to his workbench:

Hošek created this because with model painting, the artist will often accentuate the shadows with darker paint; adding this visual pop to the details gives miniatures the appearance of full-scale realism. 

However, it's difficult to paint shadows that are obscured by real shadows, like those created by lamps that only offer directional lighting. By shaping the illumination into a semicircle, Hošek is able to get the lighting flat from side to side, as you can see in these photos:

The design may not be suitable for paper-pushers or those continually reaching to the edges of their desk, but it is perfect for executing manual work that is centered on the benchtop and of a fixed size range.

Nice work, Hošek!

As a member of our Furniture Design team, the Furniture Design Engineer will work side by side with a Creative Director and a Furniture Designer in a top-tier Design Studio in the heart of Midtown Manhattan. The Furniture Design Engineer should have design related engineering expertise to support the

By learning some simple techniques to work rope or cord, you can use the stuff for everything from wrapping knife handles to dressing up exposed pipework to creating your own zipper pulls and tabs for softgoods. And survivalists have long known that it's handy to have a length of paracord always on hand, bundled up into a space-saving package.

So where do you learn this stuff? Artist J.D. Lenzen has written over a half-dozen books on knot-tying techniques for those who'd like a permanent reference source; for those of you on a budget, he also founded a YouTube channel, TyingItAllTogether, where he's got literally hundreds of videos showing you particular techniques for free.

Here's an example of one of his videos, which are typically prefaced with a helpful explanation of what function that specific technique was developed for.

And finally, here's a complete list of his videos.

Whenever I need to travel with a clothes hanger, I use this awful plastic thing:

Beyond the fact that it's flat and that the hook folds down, there really isn't much design effort making this a travel-friendly item. With its broad outline it's awkward to pack, and I'm always worried the thing is going to snap if weight is placed across it.

I don't need a travel hanger often enough to seek out a good one, but I just came across this clever design, the Y002 by Japanese design brand Y:

Just a piece of leather and two pieces of wood. Thin enough to slip into a bag while hardly taking up any space. An almost-perfect choice of materials. I say "almost" because the designers do acknowledge one flaw, translated from Japanese here: "Since we are using real leather, if you use wet or humid clothing, or when used in a humid place, leather dyes may be transferred to clothing."

The katakana in that last photo indicates the two wood options: Mahogany up top, and the lower one is made from Ramin, a tropical hardwood found in Southeast Asia.

Receiving an Honor in the Core77 Design Awards takes a little more than just an exceptional design project- it requires turning that exceptional project into an entry that will grab the jury's attention. With Regular pricing coming to a close on March 8th, there is still plenty of time to submit your best work in a way that thoroughly impresses the jury and helps you stand out from your competition.

We've created the following guide to help you nail every step of the submission process so your entry is presented in the best light possible. Included are tips and tricks to highlight your project's strengths, and maximize your entry's potential.

Step One: Sign In or Create a Core77 Account

Already have an account? Great! All you have to do is sign in. If not, create an account through Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, or Email. Creating an account not only allows you to enter the Core77 Design Awards, it automatically gives you access to all the other great features on Core77.

Step Two: Begin your Entry

Once you've signed in, head over to the "Awards" tab near the top of the page, to the right of the "Profile" tab.

Next, choose your entry type: Professional or Student. If the project you are submitting was completed while you were actively enrolled in school between January 1st, 2016 and December 31st, 2016, select "Make a Student Entry". For all other circumstances, choose "Make a Professional Entry".

Step Three: Fill Out the Elements of your Entry

The following elements of your entry are REQUIRED for submission, so your entry won't be complete with out them:

• Project Title
• The Designer Name (whether it's you or someone else)
• The Client Name 
• The Thumbnail Image (must be at least 400 pixels tall and 400 pixels wide)
• The Project Overview
• At least one Project Image
• The Project Details
• At least one Category selected

The following elements of your entry are OPTIONAL for submission, though we highly recommend completing as many as you can:

• Project PDF
• Project Video
• External Link
• Title Image
• Team Credits

Helpful tips for filling out REQUIRED entry elements:

• Your Project Overview should give the jury a brief idea of what your entry is in 500 words or less. It should be short, but informative, and convey the basics of the entry. (Your Project Details section is the place to write about your work in much greater detail.)

• Your Project Imagesmust be either JPEG, GIF or PNG formats. The maximum image dimension is 3000 pixels tall or wide and the maximum individual file size is 15MB. Sorry, but we can't accept Zip, Stuffit or other compressed files.

• Your Project Details section is where you may write about your entry in greater detail. Describe your intent as you approached your project. What is your point of view? Talk about the process that informed your project. Think about research, ethnography, subject matter experts, materials exploration, technology, iteration, testing and anything else that went into it.  It also helps to describe the stakeholder interests your project considers, such as audience, businesses, organizations, labor, manufacturing and distribution. The jury loves to read about these facets of the project, but be sure to keep it to 1500 words or less.

• The final point to consider when describing your design in your Project Details section is how your project earns its keep in the world. What is its value? Discuss the type of social, educational, economic impact it has, whether it's paradigm-shifting, sustainable or if it creates an environmental, cultural or gladdening effect. 

• When you are uploading your files, double and triple check that your sizes and file types are correct! Also check that you haven't exceeded the character limit in your Project Overview or Project Details, especially if you cut and pasted your text from another file. We don't want your words to get cut off!

• Think carefully when selecting the category or categories in which you are entering your designs. We have full definitions here on the Categories Page. We recommend reviewing them all to ensure you are entering the most appropriate category. You never know... your design might be perfect as a Consumer Product entry, but it might also fit into the Interaction category. 

Helpful tips for filling out OPTIONAL entry elements:

• The Project PDF is a chance to showcase details of your project that can't be expressed in Project Details. Please note the PDF cannot be larger than 15MB and no longer than 30 pages. 

• The Project Video helps demonstrate your entry in a dynamic way, and is always appreciated by the Judges. Your video should be simple and short- please keep it to under 2 minutes and 30 seconds. The video file needs to be in mp4 format and cannot be larger than 200MB. If you run into any troubles uploading, check that the video codec is H264. We have even more Project Video Tips here.

• The External Link is a great way to offer additional information about your project, especially if your client or school wrote about it.

• The Title Image acts as a introductory image for your entry, and is yet another way to visually illustrate your project. It's the biggest image the juries will see, so choose wisely.

• In the Team Credits section you can give recognition to those who helped your project become fully realized. Make sure to list everyone here who was involved so we can congratulate all the right people if your project is honored. 

Step Four: Completing and Paying for your Entry

After you fill in all the required elements, and any of the optional elements you want to include, click on the Add to Cart button near the bottom of the page.

If you click Add to Cart, but you have not completed all required elements, you will see the following message which lists what still needs to be filled in:

If you click Add to Cart, and have completed all required elements, you will be presented with the option to Make Another Entry, or Continue to Payment.

If you are not planning on creating another entry, click Continue to Payment, and you will be brought to the Checkout page.

Before you click Continue to Billing, be sure to check the two boxes in the yellow rectangle. You won't be able to continue until both are checked. Once you have, click Continue to Billing and you will be brought to the Payment page where you can complete payment for your entry.

With this guide, the power to build the perfect Core77 Design Awards entry is now in your hands. If you find you're still running into problems, please contact us at awards@core77.com.

Regular pricing ends on March 8th. Start your entry and knock the socks off the Judges today!

HealthStat reached out to us becasue they wanted to create an affordable fitness tracker that can be sold in the United States, as well as more impoverished regions of the world. The waterproof Equipt Fitness Tracker features an easy-to-read display that is backlit to illuminate your progress during a night run, or when the sun is shining brightly directly overhead. The patented wrist band has a tough rubber shell that provides excellent grip and pliability, with a durable, flexible wire inside that holds its shape without showing any creases or bends. The band makes it simple to attach and remove to wrists of all sizes without having to fuss with any clumsy clasps. A soft, matte finish was added for extra comfort, durability and aesthetic appeal.

Reader Mick saw our post on the Japanese travel hanger and pointed out the dealbreaker for him: The closed loop means it can only be hung on a hook, not a closet rod. He also wrote that "Ever since I lost my 'Raiders of the Lost Ark'-style foldable hanger on a trip many years [ago], I've been looking for a replacement. It was also Japanese-made, btw, and apparently no longer made."

For those who've somehow never seen the movie, here's the one he's referring to:

Mick, I poked around a bit to see if I could find one. Sadly all I could find was this one…

…but judging by the reviews on Amazon, it's junk.

I went looking for more travel hangers and found a few. Boottique's Travel Hanger is about 11 bucks, but like the one up top, also gets mixed reviews on Amazon. Apparently some folks find that it falls apart.

Here's Jennifer Rabatel's "T-square hanger." (I'm not sure why it's not called the "Bevel Gauge Hanger," as that's the tool it more closely resembles.) As far as I know this isn't in production, but depending on what kinds of tools you have access to, you might be able to DIY one of these.

This inflatable hanger is a nifty idea for travel, but was apparently unpopular or difficult to produce; it's been discontinued.

I spotted this design on AliExpress, but I have no faith this thing won't break.

Sorry I couldn't find a good travel hanger, Mick. But I did come cross these non-travel, designey hangers that have eye candy value:

The design of the Roomsafari Triangle Hanger, by Christine Nogtev and Chul Cheong, was inspired by the musical triangle.

Here's a similar unrealized concept (perhaps student work?) allegedly by Cecilia Lundgren, who appears to have gone into painting rather than industrial design.

Yet another similar idea: The Frame stainless steel hanger.

Designer unknown.

This hanger sold by Urbio does not appear to be designed for use on a rod and comes with its own aluminum peg for wall installation.

Designer Martina Bartoli's Unidentified Flying Hanger was produced in limited numbers following its debut at Milan in 2011.

Designer Chris L. Halstrøm's Georg Hangers seem like they could double as a kung fu weapon.

In the past few years what has become to be known as a "Moxon Vise" has become a pretty popular workbench accessory. The basic theory behind it is that lots of joinery operations, especially dovetailing, need to be done at a higher bench height than a typical bench—which is usually set for planing operations. In Moxon's engraving from Mechanick Exercises (1678) the vise is placed at an obviously incorrect position, with no way of attaching it to the bench. Felibien, in an earlier book, (which Moxon liberally copied from) shows a group of these vises hanging from a wall behind the main workbench.

I think it was the Lost Art Press' edition of The Art of Joinery that brought the vise back to the limelight and it is now a very popular accessory.

Today several vendors, ourselves included, stock complete Moxon vises ready for use or hardware kits for making your own. Our vise, which was designed and is made for us by the Philadelphia Furniture Workshop, has a couple of unique features, notably a cambered from jaw for ease of clamping, and handles that can be moved out of the way while working. The hardware for the vise, which was a joint design by ourselves and the PFW is specially designed to allow for wear and a lot of give in the wood. Our hardware kit doesn't include drawings for the vise because, while the PFW design is perfect for hordes of people, if you are going to the trouble of making a vise for yourself, you might as well take a moment and decide if some customization is in order. However so many people have asked us for some guidance I thought explaining some design considerations might be in order.

At its most simple, the vise is just two boards with screws to clamp them together and enough thickness on the back jaw so that the vise in turn it can be clamped to your bench. The actual size isn't critical. The screws need to be inset far enough in from the ends so the wood doesn't split—a couple of inches at most—and the main dimension is the clamping distance between the screws and the overall height of the vise. Unless you have the urge to have several vises, you want a clamping distance wide enough for any carcase you are likely to make—say 24" max, but 18" or 20" between the screws is probably more realistic. Also you don't want to make such a heavy monster that moving it all the time is a chore. The height is the next issue— you want it high enough so it brings dovetailing to a comfortable height. 4" is fine for most people, 6" might be better for a tall person on a short bench—here is one area where personal preference is important.

Now we are already into two tweaks. By cutting down the ends of the rear jaw into ears you give yourself clamping surfaces that will keep cutting tools away from your holdfasts—the usual device for attaching the vise to your bench.

Among the innovations made by the Philadelphia Furniture Workshop in our vise—a narrow shelf is glued on the back of the rear jaw to create a clamping ledge so that you can clamp your tails down firmly when you lay out your pins.

The way our kit works is that the two acme screws thread into two nuts mortised into the back jaw of the vise. Just locate the holes far enough from the bottom so the nuts have enough clearance and first drill the holes and then mortise away. The nuts we use are custom for the vise and are offset. We found that, especially with a sloppy mortise, a regular nut can spin in the mortises as the vise wears. This design gives you plenty of room for error and you won't have to worry about wear.

The front jaw can be as thin as 4/4 but here again the Philadelphia furniture workshop design has a great innovation. The inside of the jaw is slightly cambered so even if the jaws are tightened unevenly the vise will hold in the center perfectly. Also the thinner front jaw, not only makes the vise lighter, the jaw can bend a little when clamping for a better fit on the work.

Finally it's nice to have a little something to help align the vise to the front edge of your bench.

We didn't use Moxon type vises when I was learning woodworking. What a shame. I cannot imagine not having one now. Especially since between my back and my eyesight (lack of) getting the work closer to me, and not having to slouch down to work is a real boon, Whichever design you use I think it's a really great addition for work holding in the workshop.

_______________________

This "Tools & Craft" section is provided courtesy of Joel Moskowitz, founder of Tools for Working Wood, the Brooklyn-based catalog retailer of everything from hand tools to Festool; check out their online shop here. Joel also founded Gramercy Tools, the award-winning boutique manufacturer of hand tools made the old-fashioned way: Built to work and built to last.

Where does the time go? Just last week we introduced you to the first three Jury Captains for the 2017 Core77 Design Awardsso you could get familiar with the design minds that will be reviewing your Design Concept, Visual Communication and Furniture & Lighting entries. Now we have a new batch of Jury Captains to introduce, and we are just 3 weeks away from our regular pricing deadline. (That's March 8th, just in case you don't have it marked on your calendar.)

Before you jot down that important date, learn more about the jury team leaders of the Transportation, Design Education Initiative and Service Design categories. 

Jackie Chang, 2017 Transportation

Project Lead Designer, Nissan

So your job title, according to LinkedIn, is "Future Mobility Experience Catalyst" at Nissan—pretty cool. Tell us, what's up with that? What does this job entail?

My official role in the studio is Project Lead Designer, "Future Mobility Experience design" is our team's expertise. We focus on designing solutions for our customer's future mobility possibilities. It is very rewarding to know, not only that we can fix user's problems, but also have a chance to design experiences that are functional and unique to Nissan. The challenge is to make these experiences into tangible objects that will become part of a real product. We are "catalysts" in that sense.

You've been working at Nissan for over 15 years, what are some of the highlights and milestone in terms of projects you've worked on there over that time? What makes them so memorable?

This is a great question. There are two perspectives, the "personal" side and "company" side. The "personal" side is about directly working with the team on product design. In a project team, each role is different and, depending on what role you play, it affects the way you position yourself and work with others. The end result is the direct reflection of the team's dynamic. The current Nissan Maxima 4-door sports car is a great example of the several successful production and concept car projects that I was able to work with the best talents at Nissan. I am very proud of being part of that. On the "company" side, my role has changed from being part of a very mature design development team to a more exploratory, researching, experiment-type role. Today, mobility experiences are deeply integrated into my everyday tasks.It all starts with users, not innovations nor design. It has been an eye-opening process be part of learning while influencing others. It is an eye-opening journey because it requires a whole different process. It is not very easy to change the way we work and think, but it is very motivating to have the opportunity not only to change the design process, but also influence the mindset of the designers.

Your resume says you're transforming the a concept experience model into a real life model—how exactly is Nissan tackling this and what kinds of features will this model have?

People are changing, so is the economy. In the experiential economy time like today, the traditional way of designing is no longer enough to meet the consumer's expectations. Nowadays, design is so much more integral part of many things. It is part of the holistic experience expectation. With a concept experience model, we test and define our vision with users and, only then, we fully focus with all disciplines on how the vision could be realized in the real products. To get to the real product phase, an experience modeling is surprisingly simple. Bring users early in the process to share the vision, and the team sprints for opportunities that are meaningful and inspiring for the customers. Put those experiences into specs and the team goes to work. Just as simple as that. Our approach is to deliver what matters most to our customers as soon as it could be. Though they may be small and gradual, those changes would be made in a way to be meaningful to our customers and the company as well. In that sense, our products may be the concept experience models in the true sense.

In what ways do you think our concept of transportation will change with future vehicles?

We shifted from horses to cars about a century ago, and that's what I feel it is happening again in the automotive industry, just like the TV has lost its identity and the automotive industry is no exception. The blurring the boundary between cars and services has started. Even though cars and services will be parallel in our life for another while and they will eventually merge. This wave will disrupt so many aspects of our life, just like riding horses to driving cars did - our city infrastructures, rental car companies, passenger/merchandise transportations, cityscape, natural resources, retail, environments, health, post-sale services, well-being, finance, time, space and, most importantly, PEOPLE. Car ownership models will change, too. If you ask a Nissan customer today, "What do you drive?," he or she would say a Rogue or something.But in the future, if asked, "What do you drive?" or even "What do you ride?" They may simply say, "Nissan," because they will say Nissan. I feel very fortunate being a designer now and the excitement that is heading our way. I hope many talents will help redefine what CAR vs MOBILITY is in many ways. Join us if you want to change the world together.

Petrula Vrontikis, 2017 Design Education Initiative

Creative Director, Vrontikis Design Office

Petrula Vrontikis is a leading influence in graphic design. Her current work includes research, writing, consulting, creating brand communication strategies, training, and coaching. She received an AIGA Fellows Award honoring her as an essential voice raising the understanding of design within the industry and among the business and cultural communities. She is creative director and owner of Vrontikis Design Office (@vrontikis and 35k.com) and a professor at Art Center College of Design, teaching graphic design, career development, and professional practice courses.

For the latest edition of "Core Talk", Vrontikis talks with Core77 about her teaching methods that emphasize the importance of relaying professional knowledge as well as what she hopes to see in the Design Awards submissions. 

Sarah Drummond - 2017 Service Design

Co-founder, Snook

Sarah is the Co-founder and Managing Director of Snook, an award winning design consultancy working at the forefront of civic, public sector and democratic innovation. Sarah focuses on making social change happen by re-thinking public services from a human perspective.

You worked in government before co-founding your company Snook. Can you tell me more about that and how that led you to the realm of service design? How did you think design could help create change in a different way than mere public policy can?

I was actually studying product design before having a shot at working in government in a non-departmental public body called Skills Development Scotland, and we'd undertaken a project with them when we were students where they got a group of product designers to start looking at services and how you could change them to better fit customer needs. This was actually quite a landmark project at the time because it was a kind of precursor to a lot of the innovative work I've seen going on in the UK with government digital service and new Scottish approach to service design to be run by governments—none of that really existed when we were doing this kind of work. It just seemed really obvious that you could take a design approach, which is thinking about how people use something and need to do something, and put that into the development process of any product or service that's coming out of government.

So I always thought that from being inside that environment and actually kind of living it and seeing how it works, it was easy to spot where there were quick wins as well as larger, more long term strategic wins for embedding different design approaches inside the process of policy into implementation. I also think that design as an approach and service design could help create the right cultural setting and space for [policy] to exist in—it's inherently a bit more collaborative, it's more visual, and it really focuses on testing out stuff before you implement it. So I've always seen that as a massive part of embedding design inside of these organizations, and something that when we went on to create Snook we always said we would do. [We didn't just want to] help organizations do better design and create better services, [we wanted to] give them the capacity to do that themselves. So I was sold on service design then and since seeing it rise and rise in the industry, within public services, within government, within commercial services as well.

What do you think is the greatest misunderstanding about service design?

I think that service design has developed an aesthetic where a lot of people think it's only about doing social good. Whilst we've seen over the last 10-20 years, probably even from the 60s and 70s when people like [Victor] Papanek were talking about designing for good and social good, it's not just that—it can do some bad things in the world. It can also help make things a lot more efficient in manufacturing process lines, so that's one of the common myths and misunderstandings that I've seen about service design. But what [service design has done] for a lot of people is open up a range of tools and approaches which allow us to focus on the customer, the citizen, and allow us to actually bring form to ideas and quite intangible ideas before they're scaled. The clarity of service design for me is that it's about designing services, and it's about helping people to do something better.

In order to create a truly intuitive and beneficial service, what are three things a designer must do or keep or mind during the design process?

You should always remember that your research isn't about asking people what they want; it's about understanding what they need. And that's a really clear distinction between researching to understand the user's needs as opposed to a consultation, which is asking people what they would like to see. You could research from what people say they would like to see, but really it's about understanding what people need to do, the tasks they need to do, how they like to do them, and [thinking about how] can you help them do them better. 

I think the second thing that every designer must keep in mind is test early. Even if you're testing out design principles for how a service might operate, whether you're testing out a mockup of a website or a full service experience is to get it out there and get it out there early so that you don't hold onto an idea or a service concept for a really long time, build it up, spend lots of money on it and then realize it that, actually, it fails when you put it in the hands of users. That's really really important. 

The third thing is that services don't happen in a vacuum, they happen in the world. They're part of wider systems. Sometimes they ask users to move from different organizations in the context of government (for example, you might move from the department you work in pensions to then work with a commercial company like a bank). And services need to be, especially for the data that will serve customers, inter-operable between all of those organizations, so you've got to be really considerate of the wider system where your service will fit and I think that's a key thing that a lot of early design education misses out. That's not a criticism of design education but it's a consideration for how we can actually train people to design services in the real world, where the leverage might come there. So having that sense of realism about the possibilities, as well as a sense of realism around what you can actually achieve on the given budget for that service, what the organization can actually deliver also needs to be considered. 

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity

Regular deadline to get your projects in front of these industry leaders is March 8th. Don't wait: submit your entry in today!

Here's a serious question for parents-to-be: Do you find yourselves becoming increasingly frustrated that you don't really know the baby growing inside you or your partner until it's born? You aren't able to experience your baby with sight or touch until it finds its way out of the womb—isn't this slightly creepy? Well, one father-to-be just couldn't take it anymore and developed a way to virtually meet his baby before it popped out into the real world. 

One regular afternoon, Samuli Cantell casually thought about how cool it would be to use 4D ultrasound to scan his unborn baby and turn it into a VR experience. 

He then came up with the idea to use 4D ultrasound images and data to create a 3D print of his baby. The print was used to create a full VR experience that allowed VR goggle wearers to "see" the baby floating in space, hotdog-like umbilical cord and all. How he convinced his girlfriend to let this happen, I don't know. Somehow he did, and from the looks of the pictures, all parties involved seem pretty excited about it.

After receiving advice from Aava Medical Centre and GE (they manufacture 3D and 4D ultrasound systems), Cantell came up with this process:

"We went to the Aava Medical Centre for the 4D ultrasound scan. At this time, our baby was already a bit too big for perfect scans, but after an hour we got enough material. From the data I imported DICOM files to osiriX lite and made the frst 3D model. It turned out pretty messy, but with a little help from a friend, we sculpted a nice 3D model. The 3D model of the baby was then placed in a Unity project, and the experience was ready."

For a first go around, the results looks pretty solid:

The final VR experience

Here Cantell describes how he felt when staring at his baby floating in space:

When I put the VR glasses on for the first time, the experience took my breath away. Even though I knew this was only a 3D model, the fact that it was based on our unborn child and the power of this immersive experience really blew my mind. For the first ten minutes, I was just sitting still on the floor watching her floating in the air next to me. It was very emotional and calming, yet unreal.

So close you can almost touch it!

Even Grandma got to take a look!

Cantell's takeaways from this process are as followed: "It's as awesome as it is weird, music plays a huge role in this kind of emotional experience, a lot of manual 3D sculpting is still needed, and the scanning should take place before pregnancy week 32." Out of everything on this list, what I want to know most is what songs were on the VR Baby Experience playlist.

All of this sounds creepy, but keep in mind that a lot of parents-to-be have anxiety about parenting and meeting their babies—this could serve as a form of therapy to help calm those nerves. It's also a potential way for fathers to feel more connected to their babies before birth. Perhaps a way to calm fathers down on Maury or Jerry Springer when they learn they are, in fact, the father? 

I'm curious to hear what people who've actually gone through the pregnancy process have to say about this. I particularly want to know if you would show your child's VR baby experience to them during sappy milestones—like their graduation or wedding —in place of baby photos.

My only kids are two plants and a fish, so I have no answers.

Would you like to join the Culture of Design at Eleven? We are a diverse family of thinkers. We create products and brands as we peer through the lens of our "Powers of Perspective". Eleven is looking for team players whose

This article originally appeared on Coroflot, Core77's Design Job site. Visit their new blog for more insight on working, and recruiting, in the creative professions.

What do you look for in a designer? Whether you're seeking your first job or you're a seasoned pro, the answer to this question can provide valuable insight when answered by the right person. We've decided to ask the best minds in the design world about their hiring practices to learn what it takes to stand out as a creative professional. In a time when technology and trends change at the blink of an eye, we think this question is more relevant than ever.

Ayse Birsel is best known at the Co-founder and Creative Director of Birsel + Seck, the award-winning design and innovation studio working with high profile clients like Herman Miller/Living Office, GE, Toyota, Tiffany & Co., Colgate-Palmolive, and Philips, among others. Born in Turkey, the New York-based designer is the creator of Design the Life You Love (Ten Speed Press, 2015), a book and coursework that teaches non-designers how to create a meaningful life using her design process, Deconstruction:Reconstruction (DE:RE). Birsel was identified by Fast Company as one of the world's most creative people and is on the Thinkers50 Radar List of the 30 management thinkers most likely to shape the future of organizations. In other words, she knows her stuff and is a perfect person to ask about what she looks for when hiring a designer.

What do you look for when hiring a designer?

Ayse Birsel: At Birsel + Seck, hiring a designer is akin to making a new friend. When you work hard something has to give and often it is time for friends. Working with your friends and becoming friends with the people you work with is a way of resolving that dichotomy. That is my motto. Kindness, generosity, authenticity, thoughtfulness come first. We look for nice people, people we want to spend time with, who are also great creative thinkers.

Is there a particular "tell" that signals a good or bad fit?

We are about 8 people and we do whatever is necessary to get the work done and to complement each other. Taking initiative, being self-directed, striving to do great work and being open to trying new things (we experiment continuously) are signs of a good fit.

What is your best interview "horror story"?

When people show up with their parents. Worse is when their parents want to join the interview.

What is the single most valuable piece of advice you could give to those on the hunt?

My single most valuable advice would be to do internships. It is a great way of testing out the fit, leaving a good impression and having an insider's view of the work and the environment. We often hire our interns.

Do you have any specific advice for recent graduates, or people just starting straight out from school?

Teach. Teach a class or a workshop. Start somewhere - a school, a community center - and gather experience. Teach your friends something you're skilled at or volunteer at a high school. Not only is teaching the best way to learn and build confidence, it is also the best way to meet new people, be in the know and network. I credit the Design the Life You Love workshops that I started as an experiment, without any expectations except to test a unique concept, for expanding my network in a way I couldn't have imagined.

Regarding creative employment, what do you know now that you wished you knew then?

Being generous and helping others is the biggest lesson for me. I have so many people to thank for being role models, for helping me without waiting for anything in return. Marshall Goldsmith, the world's #1 leadership coach who recently started the 100 Coaches program to teach everything he knows to 100 leaders for free, is my hero and an example in generosity. I try to emulate him and other people like him.

Want to know more about Birsel + Seck? Visit them at birselplusseck.com! You can also learn more about Ayse by visiting aysebirsel.com.

Looking for a job? Check out the Coroflot Design Job Board!

A lot of designers get their products' primary functions just right. But I'm also interested in products' secondary and tertiary functions—and particularly how products are used in between the moments when they are performing their original function. For this week I'm going to talk gloves.

We all buy gloves for our specific needs: Some of you need to text, others buy for fashion, still others need a pair that can endure outdoor labor. The gloves I wear are a function of owning two active dogs. I'm outside for long stretches three times a day, 365 days a year, harsh winter weather is no exception.

Main Functions

Warmth

Unless you're buying for fashion, this is a solved problem.

Dexterity

Depends on your task. Some gloves have grips that prevent axe handles from sliding away, others have conductive pads so you can Tweet out of doors. My test is simple and mimicked in-store at the time of purchase: If I can wear one glove to stretch a plastic bag over the other and then pick up a nugget of dog shit with it, ding ding.

Durability

Prior to owning dogs I wore fabric gloves or, if I was driving that day, leather gloves so I could grip a slippery steering wheel inside a freezing car. But you learn that fabric and leather gloves cannot withstand the abrasion of a nylon dog leash handle constantly encircling them. I also found they got quickly soggy in thunderstorms and winter storms.

So I switched to weatherproof gloves designed for outdoor use and made with a Cordura-like fabric around the wrists where the leash handle contacts them. 

These Carhartt gloves have seen three years of heavy use and reveal no discernible wear around the wrists.

Extracurricular Functions

Snot Management

My favorite function of a glove is one I never used to think about: Mucus management. When it's below freezing outside, after fifteen minutes my nose starts to run and doesn't stop. Having that soft microfiber strip to wipe your nose on is awesome. It leaves a gross white strip, and as your nose keeps running you need to find a fresh spot and it starts to look like you're scratching out days on a prison cell wall, but it's better than having it run down your face. People in crosswalks look at your face, not your snot strip.

Sadly, I had to retire the Carhartt gloves because after only three years the snot strips wore out and started to alligator. They currently feel like 120-grit sandpaper. Wiping your nose on them is unpleasant and rubs it raw.

Snot working anymore

The gloves are otherwise perfect. It's a shame the snot strip is not renewable or replaceable. That they're not is a really dumb reason to have to stop using them.

I replaced them with a pair of Burton gloves. They're designed for snowboarding but offer identical function and dexterity to the Carhartts.

Nice, new snot strip

Holding Stuff

Some gloves have small zipper pockets on the back. 

I never use them. I never use the tightening straps either, but I've found this strap is perfect for storing dog bags that I load into it before I leave the house. 

Easy to grab with the other hand

It's easier to pull a bag out of the strap (only requires one hand) than to tear a new bag out of the dispenser (requires two hands, one of which has the leashes around it).

Requires two hands; is not easy to unspool and tear at the perforation

Not Getting Lost

This ought be one of the main features yet is completely overlooked. There's nothing worse than losing one glove, as the other is still perfectly good but now rendered worthless. Each winter I see single gloves all over Manhattan, on coffee shop counters, subway platforms and on the sidewalk. I instantly picture its twin sitting in a nice, warm garbage can in the owner's home after the discovery is made.

Several winters ago I stopped losing gloves by buying one of these cheapie carabiners that they have in a jar next to the register at hardware stores. 

The carabiner lives on the leftmost belt loop of my pants. Gloves of the sort that I buy have little loops for tightening the wrists:

Anytime I need to remove my gloves, the carabiner goes through these tightening loops and I hang them from my belt loop. Repetition makes you fast at this and now I do it without thinking.

If you go this route, pull the spring latch back and inspect the carabiner's hook before you buy it, as there are two types. This first type is no good:

See that little indent? The glove loop will always snag on that when you try to remove it. Sounds trivial but it's a pain in the ass; removing the glove should be a smooth, thoughtless motion. So look for this type of carabiner:

Absent the notch, the glove loops slide right off.

I'll never lose my gloves again. But ironically, I'm typing this to you the week that I lost my favorite friggin' hat. It was one of those super-warm knit watchmen's caps. It disappeared sometime on Monday and I haven't seen it since.

Which do you think is harder to teach: Design, or how to lead a design team? I think it's got to be the latter, as in addition to your own crazy you've now got to manage other people's crazy. I've started reading Ed Catmull's "Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration" to learn more about it.

For those of you seeking more than a book on the subject, IDEO is offering a course on design leadership starting next week. IDEO CEO Tim Brown is presenting "Leading for Creativity," a four-week course, through their online IDEO U portal starting on February 22nd.

Leading for Creativity teaches approaches that empower individuals and teams to search for innovative solutions. You'll learn how to break down a bold vision into actionable challenges; make adjustments to culture by designing rituals and space; and guide teams into the unknown through the process of experimentation. Tim Brown, along with some of IDEO's most experienced leaders and inspiring creative partners, will help you unlock the potential of your team or organization.

Here's the pitch video:

In terms of time commitment, it requires roughly three hours a week—one to watch the content, two to execute the assignments and mingle in the community forum—for four weeks. The course runs $599 and you can get more details on it here.

SSME Necho 5.1 is a surround sound system that is worn around the neck.The idea for the Necho came to me when I absolutely had to have a surround sound system in my computer room. I realized I would have had to undergo a massive project just to add speakers to the room. There had to be an easier way to achieve the sound quality I was looking for.

Today's topic is a common but important one: what's one of the books that got you interested in pursuing design? What's a book that continues to inspire and influence your work? On the Core77 discussion boards, maehoosadie asked the experts in our design community: what are the best and brightest books out there for designers?

"I was curious what books have influenced your creative or design processes. Two of my professors have stressed the importance of curating a design library and gave several suggestions on getting started...I was hoping to hear what others in the industry enjoy reading on design, or any other topic. I've got a few on minimalism and sustainability I'm hoping to read as well, and I'd love to hear your recommendations and discuss your thoughts!"

(Editor's Note: maehoosadie also includes a great list below her question of must-read design books worth checking out!)

Here are a few responses to this reader's question straight from our audience—

Aircraft by Le Corbusier

"It is a funky short book, presumable about aircraft but really about how he saw technology could reshape culture. It can be read in about 30 minutes." — yo

The Best Interface is No Interface by Golden Krishna

"This book was recommended by a friend, and we both work in the furniture industry. Although the book talks a lot about the digital world, its been incredibly inspiring and changed the way I think about interfacing with products." — AVClub

"Currently reading Designing Design by Kenya Hara which has some interesting perspectives.

I also like:
Super Normal by Naoto Fukasawa & Jasper Morrison
Okala Practitioner by iDSA
The Innovator's Dilemma by Clayton Christiansen"

—Brian_Donlin

"I could also recommend a couple books from IDEO's Tom Kelley:
The Art of Innovation and The Ten Faces of Innovation." — Architorture

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So tell us—what's missing from this list? Share your must-reads with the Core77 audience in the comment feed below or in the original discussion board thread!