These are images from pantone guides; one of the tools we use in our research for creating new products.

These books are full of wonderful shapes, colours and ideas.
It’s up to the designer to be inspired by them and transform them into something innovative and unique!

Technorati Tags: designer, pantone, ideas

After finding the financing and the staff to handle all the orders taken at the Mipel fair, Paolo and Pietro embarked on a period of enormous change and success.
Back in the Seventies, Mandarina had just launched Utility and chosen Mandarina Duck as the brand name for its products.
They had said a final goodbye to clients that sold trinkets in favor of leather wholesalers.

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Today is summer solstice and my favourite season begins: sun, holidays, relax… long week-ends and travel desire.
I love summer, time seems to expand, in towns people feel like breathing fresh air and want to stay outside till late.

In Bologna you can smell holidays atmosphere, pubs fill the sidewalks with beach umbrellas and tables while squares and parks become alive with shows and music.

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I often go to Tokyo for work and I usually land at Narita Airport (Shin Tokyo Kokusai Kuko), the largest airport in the “Land of the Rising Sun” and probably the one with the highest number of passengers and greatest movement of goods.

I must say that it’s not the most comfortable airport to land at. Narita is more than 60 km from downtown Tokyo and it’s best to have an expert driver pick you up or take public transportation, which is always on schedule.

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Travel, flight. We wanted to create a line based on a new concept that would be different from all the others.

Something inspired by our experiences, our marketing research and cars. A world that is in constant motion must be well-organized in order to function. Inside and out. When we travel, we bring the colors of home with us inside our trolleys. Cool, soft and informal images.

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My colleague Roberta works on Adv campaigns photo shootings. I asked her to tell me a bit about these moments.

A photo shooting really resembles a first date: nothing can be overlooked! Choose a dress, work on your make-up and think about the image you want to give.

First of all, an important decision: what to say and how. Discussions, proposals and long searches for new ideas are key for this.
Once the course is set, it’s time to form a team. Photographer, models, make-up specialist, stylist and, last but not least, a fit location.
Everything has to be perfect. Time is always short and there’s much to do.
When the day comes, the atmosphere is that of big events.

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I went along with our Visual Merchandiser to prepare a display for our store in Bologna.
We consider our sales points to be an important means of communicating MD values. They are the places where you can enter into our world and live our life. This is why we invent something new for every sales campaign.

Preparing a display is actually more complex than it appears to be. Firstly, with the support of the Marketing department, we have to choose a focal point: our travel lines, women in general, spring time, or the new collection itself.

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The 52nd International Art Exhibition opens to the public on 10 June. It’s a tour of 77 nations through their contemporary art.
The exhibition title is very thought provoking: “Think with the Senses – Feel with the Mind. Art in the Present Tense”. Robert Storr, the first ever American Biennale curator, in his introductory thoughts on the 52nd edition, he said, “Art is now, as it has always been, the means by which humans are made aware of the whole of their being”.
Wandering art lovers can click on this Grand Tour 2007 and organize a trip around Europe following the various openings associated with the 52nd International Art Exhibition; Art 38 Basel; Documenta 12; and Skulptur Projekte Münster 07 .

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