No class today. Instead, we meet outside the Institute. Tyler is with us for the day. We take the U-Bahn to Mariahilferstraße to see an A1 mobile phone store. It is unlike any other retail experience I’ve ever seen.
The facade is two stories, glass, and every half hour or so, fog fills the glass so as to obscure the view of the interior. Aloe plants are positioned every few feet along the length of the facade, with the A1 logo carved into the leaves. The first part of the store that a customer experiences is a sort of lobby, with stairs to the left and a ramp to the right. The stairs lead downstairs to the retail area, where customers can shop for phones, the ramp to an upstairs lounge.
The shopping experience is so nice. Customers grab a small, acrylic device which acts as their “shopping cart”. They take this around to different video screens, where they can download ringtones or games. The phones are displayed on different screens, with the corresponding model attached nearby. I play with the screens, going through the different specifications for each phone, playing ringtones, having a blast. A service representative dressed in a black suit instructs me not to take pictures. Scott tries to sneak a video, but is unsuccessful (with humorous results).
The ramp up to the lounge retains the theme of retro-futuristic. Walking up the ramp, one hears soothing, ambient electronic music, while holographic projections of different phones are displayed in acrylic boxes on the walls. A camera records customers’ movements, and displays an animation of the movements on the rear wall. It is a dance, it is poetry in motion. The lounge upstairs is closed, unfortunately.
After lunch, we go to visit a firm called EOOS. EOOS is the mind behind A1 mobile’s futuristic voyage through phone-shopping. They do industrial design, flagship stores, and furniture, but mostly, they just do what is required to make their vision realized. They are a team of three, and when they come together, it’s not addition, it’s multiplication. It is exponential music.
They have a revolutionary work ethic. They have so much to say, and I eat it up. I am compelled by the ideas they have, their origins, how they implement them. I see photo stills from Star Wars on a wall where someone is working on an Egyptian museum. They talk about their work for A1 mobile, how it transcends a brand, how it plays with a brand, how they throw the stone as far as they can throw it, how they change shopping typology.
On a page on my sketchbook, I count how many times I hear the frother in the cappuccino maker. Seven. I have come to notice a pattern with the firms we visit. There is no coffee maker. There is a cappuccino maker. Lots of espresso. At Wolfgang’s, there were stacks of empty silver tins with the red “illy” logo. Good coffee goes hand in hand with good design.
One project I find particularly intriguing is a chair. EOOS does chairs well, and this chair is no exception. It is designed to let you breathe with it. The leaning action is so natural. They explain that they are against the conference-room culture of leaning back, hands on back of head, power tripping executives. They are for natural motion and ease and comfort. How refreshing.
EOOS is named for one of the mythical winged horses of Aurora. The story of Eoos parallels the ideals of design. Sometimes you get too far from the earth and things get too cold. Sometimes you get too close and burn everything up. Design is about finding that medium.
Be fast and slow at the same time. The shortest way from A to B is not a straight line, but a wide bend. Image and ritual, intensity and intuition. Form is something that comes with good design. Think and develop metaphors. Consider and reconsider typology. How do you touch an object? How do you interact?
We leave EOOS changed. A placard for an office on the way out has the word “ORDINATION”. How appropriate.
Later that night, we watch movies and drink wine on the roof of Jeff’s apartment building. It is wonderful. We sit and reflect and enjoy each other’s company. At last it’s time to go to bed so we can catch our train to Venice early in the morning.
The facade is two stories, glass, and every half hour or so, fog fills the glass so as to obscure the view of the interior. Aloe plants are positioned every few feet along the length of the facade, with the A1 logo carved into the leaves. The first part of the store that a customer experiences is a sort of lobby, with stairs to the left and a ramp to the right. The stairs lead downstairs to the retail area, where customers can shop for phones, the ramp to an upstairs lounge.
The shopping experience is so nice. Customers grab a small, acrylic device which acts as their “shopping cart”. They take this around to different video screens, where they can download ringtones or games. The phones are displayed on different screens, with the corresponding model attached nearby. I play with the screens, going through the different specifications for each phone, playing ringtones, having a blast. A service representative dressed in a black suit instructs me not to take pictures. Scott tries to sneak a video, but is unsuccessful (with humorous results).
The ramp up to the lounge retains the theme of retro-futuristic. Walking up the ramp, one hears soothing, ambient electronic music, while holographic projections of different phones are displayed in acrylic boxes on the walls. A camera records customers’ movements, and displays an animation of the movements on the rear wall. It is a dance, it is poetry in motion. The lounge upstairs is closed, unfortunately.
After lunch, we go to visit a firm called EOOS. EOOS is the mind behind A1 mobile’s futuristic voyage through phone-shopping. They do industrial design, flagship stores, and furniture, but mostly, they just do what is required to make their vision realized. They are a team of three, and when they come together, it’s not addition, it’s multiplication. It is exponential music.
They have a revolutionary work ethic. They have so much to say, and I eat it up. I am compelled by the ideas they have, their origins, how they implement them. I see photo stills from Star Wars on a wall where someone is working on an Egyptian museum. They talk about their work for A1 mobile, how it transcends a brand, how it plays with a brand, how they throw the stone as far as they can throw it, how they change shopping typology.
On a page on my sketchbook, I count how many times I hear the frother in the cappuccino maker. Seven. I have come to notice a pattern with the firms we visit. There is no coffee maker. There is a cappuccino maker. Lots of espresso. At Wolfgang’s, there were stacks of empty silver tins with the red “illy” logo. Good coffee goes hand in hand with good design.
One project I find particularly intriguing is a chair. EOOS does chairs well, and this chair is no exception. It is designed to let you breathe with it. The leaning action is so natural. They explain that they are against the conference-room culture of leaning back, hands on back of head, power tripping executives. They are for natural motion and ease and comfort. How refreshing.
EOOS is named for one of the mythical winged horses of Aurora. The story of Eoos parallels the ideals of design. Sometimes you get too far from the earth and things get too cold. Sometimes you get too close and burn everything up. Design is about finding that medium.
Be fast and slow at the same time. The shortest way from A to B is not a straight line, but a wide bend. Image and ritual, intensity and intuition. Form is something that comes with good design. Think and develop metaphors. Consider and reconsider typology. How do you touch an object? How do you interact?
We leave EOOS changed. A placard for an office on the way out has the word “ORDINATION”. How appropriate.
Later that night, we watch movies and drink wine on the roof of Jeff’s apartment building. It is wonderful. We sit and reflect and enjoy each other’s company. At last it’s time to go to bed so we can catch our train to Venice early in the morning.
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