[JohnBee]

Meet the man behind the K-01 design/concept in this one on one interview.
And though I still don't like the K-01 look, I have to say that meeting the man behind the design has softened my view of the way it looks to me.

You Tube

You Tube

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Last edited by JohnBee; 02-04-2012 at 02:26 PM.

[jogiba]

You Tube

You Tube

[hcc]

+1
The interview puts forward a number of solid arguments for the the design. It was very interesting to hear how the designer compared his relationship with Pentax vs his relationship with aircraft industries.

[Opethian]

This was quite informative, although I tend not to believe videos like these too much, he sounded genuine most of the time. I found the hard cuts to be disturbing though. Let him finish!

[Docrwm]

Seems a nice enough chap, but I still don't like his designs.

[Class A]

Thanks for sharing that second video, jogiba.

Seems a nice enough chap, but I still don't like his designs.

+1

I like many aspects of the K-01 design, but I feel it is ruined by over-pretentiousness (snorkel) and ergonomic failures.

I don't understand why Pentax let him get away with the placement of the exposure compensation button and the unnecessary increase of bulk due to the snorkel. Also, the four-way controller seems misplaced. Maybe there is some secret to how you actually use a viewfinder-less camera like the K-01, but I cannot unravel it.

[jogiba]

LANCE ARMSTRONG TO RIDE TREK ART BIKE CUSTOMIZED BY RENOWNED DESIGNER MARC NEWSON IN TOUR DE FRANCE LAUNCH IN MONACO ON JULY 4

To help raise awareness for LANCE ARMSTRONG’s mission to bring heightened global attention to the cancer burden and his anti-cancer art show STAGES, which will open its doors in Paris on July 16, world-renowned designer MARC NEWSON has created a special TREK time trial art bike for Lance’s debut ride on the Tour de France on July 4 in Monaco.

Lance made history in 2005 when he rode an artist-designed Trek TTX in his final run in the Tour de France before retiring, and his return to professional racing in 2009 has been marked by a series of artist-designed bikes as a continuation of this groundbreaking collaboration with the creative community. For the commencement of the Tour de France, it is only fitting that an artist of Newson’s stature customize the ride of cycling’s most accomplished racer and cancer’s most outspoken advocate.

Born in Sydney, Australia in 1963, and based in London, Marc Newson is a revolutionary designer whose work in the fields of aerospace, furniture, product, jewelry, interior, and vehicle design have earned him countless accolades from the design community. He counts companies like Nike, Ford, Dom Pérignon, Cappellini, Qantas, Samsonite and Jaeger Le Coultre among his A-list clientele, and Newson's now iconic “Lockheed Lounge” remains the most expensive piece of furniture ever sold at auction. In 2005, he was selected as one of Time magazine's 100 most influential people. In 2007, he completed the cabin design for Spaceplane, a sub orbital spacecraft to be produced by EADS Astrium, scheduled to take passengers into space beginning in 2012. His work is included in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art in New York, London’s Design Museum, Musée national d'Art moderne-Centre Georges Pompidou, and the Vitra Design Museum. He is represented by Gagosian Gallery.

Trek Bicycle: The world's best bikes for road, mountain, or town.




Featuring subtle flat black paint offset by glossy contrast details including Newson's “Stroboscopic� rear wheel design that appears to pulse as it spins, the bike brings a new level of design sophistication to the most legendary cycling event in the world while simultaneously flying the flag of cancer awareness in Livestrong yellow.

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Last edited by jogiba; 02-04-2012 at 05:56 PM.

[jogiba]

You Tube

You Tube

[jogiba]

Youtu.be

Youtu.be

[creampuff]

Doesn't Marc Newson look like he's the long lost brother of Dr Nicholas Rush (Robert Carlyle) of Stargate Universe?

[Class A]

I like Marc Newson as a person but I take issue with his attitude regarding customer input. A progressive artist must not listen to customers. A designer, on the other hand, has a responsibility to make sure that the product is usable.

I believe that the K-01 fails to meet established design principles.

[ihasa]

Just for comparison's sake, here is the Pentax K7 designer's statement (not video, unfortunately - but an interesting read).

http://www.pentax.co.uk/en/digital-slr/downloads/media/b9cebfaa8442da49eff39...7%20090717.doc

The head designer was Toshihiro Hamamura.

GUI design was by Takeharu Shin.

Let's give them a round of applause!

[Class A]

let's give them a round of applause!

+1!

Great find and thanks for sharing!

P.S.: For those who cannot read a Word document, the same content is available as a HTML page.

[jogiba]

I like Marc Newson as a person but I take issue with his attitude regarding customer input. A progressive artist must not listen to customers. A designer, on the other hand, has a responsibility to make sure that the product is usable.

I believe that the K-01 fails to meet established design principles.

I guess you only want a camera that looks like every other SLR/DSLR/Rangefinder made in the last fifty years. Steve Jobs left designer Jony Ive more power than anyone at Apple and he did not want to know what customers wanted in a future product because most customers lack vision.

[Class A]

I guess you only want a camera that looks like every other SLR/DSLR/Rangefinder made in the last fifty years.

Not true. But change for the sake of change is wrong.
In Dieter Rams' words

"But innovative design always develops in tandem with innovative technology, and can never be an end in itself."

If Marc Newson's goal had been to appeal to new "Hello Kitty" customers then my criticism would not apply (as the rules are meant for serious products). However,

1. Marc Newson clearly admits to other design goals, and
2. K-mount and "Hello Kitty" are not a good match.

Steve Jobs left designer Jony Ive more power than anyone at Apple and he did not want to know what customers wanted in a future product because most customers lack vision.

That's a completely different example (compared to K-01).

1. Ive's work satisfies Rams' rules.
2. The design innovations of the iPhone are driven by technological innovations (multi-touch screen).
3. Customer feedback has been positive despite customers lacking vision. The idea is not to let customers create the vision / the design, but to ask them what they are feeling about the end product.

How many people called the iPhone "fugly"?
How many 14-year olds said the iPhone looked "too childish"?