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Thursday
Oct232008

The New Equation is . . .

 

 

  

 

+

 


=

 the future of business

 

A couple of weeks ago I was sitting down with a group of business mentors as they shared with me ideas on how to to be savvy in today's business market.  They discussed business strategy, the current climate, relationship building and a whole host of concepts and beliefs.  After about an hour,  with 3 written pages of notes, 4 downed glasses of water and 3 destroyed raisin muffins to show for it, the meeting wrapped up. George Pierson, (a former creative and design guru at HBO and The Discovery Channel) the 'futurist' of the group, pulled me aside and said "Rasul, let me share with you one of the best pieces of advice a friend shared with me years ago".  "He said if you can anticipate the needs of society in 10 years and act on them now, you'll always be in position of success."

Hmmm. . . very interesting. . .

As I meditated on his words I then began thinking - ok, how do I begin trying to figure out what the world wants in 2018?! But then it occurred to me; I've actually been doing this all along.  I've just never really thought about it.  Well I wouldn't say I was exactly anticipating the needs of society but I always have and still perpetually think about what's next. The main reason being: survival.

When I graduated from college (in the late 90s) my biggest fear was getting my architecture degree and going into the world and not being able to land a job.  That scared the crap out of me. So I was always reading, researching and studying whatever I could get my hands on (and networking! What good is knowing a lot of stuff yet you don't have any connections?) so that I was always in the know - about everything my mind could possibly handle My game-plan was that if I was aware and had an inkling of an idea of where things are and where they were going then I would always have something of value to contribute. So far so good.

Fast forward to 2008.  Today my decision to get my degree in architecture continues to pay off (thank you electrical engineering for beating me to a pulp my freshman year. Otherwise I may have never decided to change my major. . . whew!!). Design thinking is becoming evident as the mindset of choice for the successful (can we say Apple - whose profits climbed 26% despite a slowing economy), and those on the cutting edge. Now as designers (and design thinkers), technologists and innovators continue to create actual things of  value vs. perceptions of value - and there is an enormous difference - you'll continue to see  their impact in  the market. Couple this with the very idea of brand building (i.e. creating something with meaning, authenticity, relevance and dynamism- (see the black box above) and you have where the future is going.

Reader Comments (1)

Great...I was recently thinking about the concept
of RETAIL DESIGN ACCOUNTABILITY...

is this current? Does expenditure limit accountability, to the view, the environment, in short to the future..?

Massive monolithic brightly coloured retail units/boxes/parks are even more ugly than bilboards and plenty of people are fighting intrusive advertising although these things are one and the same...

we all need to work together to make a CHANGE, architects
are sinners too....

Ugly building doesn`t scream like in your face linear advertising bullshit but it`s still a nauseating headache that just wont go away.
November 7, 2008 | Unregistered CommenterKAPITEL - Jake Edwards

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