business

Frank Gehry‘s Guggenheim and Jean Nouvel‘s Louvre, both in Abu Dhabi, haven’t been the only high-profile Middle Eastern projects placed on shaky ground due to the recent turmoil in the region. The Guardian is reporting that internationally-renowned architect Zaha Hadid has seen her firm’s profits cut by more than half because of the Arab Spring. Despite news like her winning the Stirling Prize for the second year in a row, and landing commissions like being included among starchitects who have built a parking garage in Miami, to even her inclusion in the Sunday Times‘ annual “Rich List,” the paper reports that the number of projects that have been put on hold due to the Arab Spring turmoil have taken “a toll on the financial position of her firm.” How bad is it? There have been 76 people laid off and “before tax slumped to £1.8m in the year to 30 April 2011 from £4.1m the year before.” While we’re certain things aren’t teetering on the brink for the celebrated architect, it certainly must be making things a bit more tricky in an already struggling industry.

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Unless you’re reading this in another country, and even then it still might apply, it’s highly likely that you’ve at one point at least seen, if not purchased, something that features the now-iconic “Made the USA” brand certification mark (the one with the hand). The California-based design consultancy firm RKS is now taking a page from that “Made in the…” concept originally developed and designed by another design firm, Conrad Phillips Vutech, with the unveiling of their own brand mark, “Designed in the USA.” The intention, of course, is not only displaying pride and a sense of unity for American craftsmanship (or “designmanship”), as well as helping to win over consumers for whom homegrown design is important. And as an offshoot, we’re betting that, like Conrad Phillips Vutech before them, RKS wouldn’t mind at all if a brand mark they created became as familiar an institution. Here’s a bit from their press release:

Why use it? This logo can enhance your brand and expand customer attraction, differentiate you from competitors, influence sales or usage/adoption, and/or strengthen an export position. It will also raise the bar for all, while branding the contributions from the creative and ingenious talents that come together in the United States from all corners of the globe.

And here are the specifics of who can use the logo and where.

Businesses are invited to use the logo which design all, or virtually all, aspects of their offerings in the U.S.; have been operating domestically for 12 months, and are not the subject of any unsatisfactory rating from an applicable product/service rating company or government agency; and retain evidence to substantiate that designs are domestically produced with no, or negligible, foreign contribution.

Sure to boost compliance in double-blinded clinical trials the world over are these streamlined pill keepers from Sabi, a new company that is looking “to transform life’s small tasks into moments of joy” through lifestyle and wellness products designed by Yves Behar and his Fuseproject team. “We designed the Sabi brand, products, and packaging to express smarter ergonomic functionality, and instill pride of use rather than the stigma of being singled out by daily physical challenges,” says Behar. “I believe Sabi will make sense to an older generation in need of solutions, but also to a younger set of users that simply expect good design everywhere.” Named for the Japanese aesthetic construct (think “wabi-sabi”), the Palo Alto-based company was founded by entrepreneur Assaf Wand, who points to Method, Bang & Olufsen, OXO, and Dyson as brands that inspire him. His idea for Sabi came as he watched his then-pregnant wife struggle to find an easy-to-use and visually appealing prenatal vitamin case. Pill organizers and related accessories (vitamin pulverizers, sleek carafes) comprise the company’s first line of products, Vitality. In the works are Agility, products designed to alleviate the pain and inconvenience of lifting, reaching, and carrying everyday items around the house, as well as Mobility, a line of travel accessories and gadgets that assist in transporting health and wellness essentials. Grab a Sabi Holster ($8.99) and take a chill pill, as the second two lines—including, at long last, a shower caddy that you won’t be ashamed to show houseguests—will debut later this year.

Sometimes the old adage of no news being good news couldn’t be more true, particularly when it comes to the business of building. The American Institute of Architects have released their monthly Architecture Billings Index and it hasn’t made a budge, neither up or down by even a single decimal. One could easily consider this a good sign, considering its predilection over the past couple of years to swing wildly in both directions, and that last month it had ended in the positive. And so the Index remains, stationary at 52 (anything above 50 indicates an increase in billings and a general sense of how well the industry is fairing). However, per usual, here’s the AIA’s main man of math cautiously reminding us that that other old adage, “history repeats itself,” has also been known to be true from time to time as well:

“We saw nearly identical conditions in November and December of 2010 only to see momentum sputter and billings fall into negative territory as we moved through 2011, so it’s too early to be sure that we are in a full recovery mode,” said AIA Chief Economist, Kermit Baker, PhD, Hon. AIA. “Nevertheless, this is very good news for the design and construction industry and it’s entirely possible conditions will slowly continue to improve as the year progresses.”

Last July, after the freshly launched design flash sale site Fab.com had landed its first round of venture funding (a cool $8 million, led by Menlo Ventures), founder Jason Goldberg touted the site’s diverse mix of merch, from chairs and stationery to bikes and biscotti. There was just one category he said that the company would steer clear of: fashion. “We don’t have any ambition in the fashion category,” Goldberg told Venturebeat, in what sounded like an attempt to differentiate his site from the flash-sale fray (read: Gilt Groupe). “That’s more about liquidation; our model is more about opening a new channel for suppliers.” Five months and $40 million in Series B funding later, Fab.com has flip-flopped on fashion and acquired FashionStake, which launched in the fall of 2010 as a kind of Kickstarter-style fundraising platform for independent fashion designers and evolved into an Etsy-like marketplace for their wares. “We’re going to do the exact same thing we’ve done with design products to fashion,” wrote Goldberg today in a blog post announcing the deal. “Make no mistake, we’re keenly aware that there are plenty of sites that sell high-end fashion for a discount. That’s not Fab. We’re doing fashion the Fab way; designed to make you smile.” Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, but FashionStake founders Vivian Weng and Daniel Gulati will be joining Fab.com. According to Weng and Gulati, FashionStake will relaunch on Fab.com in mid-February.

Eastman Kodak has been trying to stave off bankruptcy for some time, but the floundering photo company now looks bound for Chapter 11. Late last month, Kodak elected a new president—former general counsel Laura Quatela—and inked a deal to sell its Eastman Gelatine subsidiary, moves that were touted as part of the company’s focus on its intellectual property business and “digital growth initiatives,” respectively. But it might be too little, too late. A bankruptcy filing could come as soon as this month or early February if the company is unsuccessful in selling off some of its patent portfolio, according to a report published yesterday in the Wall Street Journal. “That Kodak is even contemplating a bankruptcy filing represents a final reversal of fortune for a company that once dominated its industry, drawing engineering talent from around the country to its Rochester, N.Y., headquarters and plowing money into research that produced thousands of breakthroughs in imaging and other technologies,” write Mike Spector and Dana Mattioli, who also note Kodak’s failure to capitalize on the digital camera invented by the company—in 1975. Meanwhile, Moody’s has just downgraded Kodak’s debt due to the bankruptcy buzz.

In the world of home decor, and thanks to his many collaborations between companies running the gamut from Barney’s to Starbucks, there are few things you wouldn’t be able to purchase that were designed by Jonathan Adler. Now that list has managed to get even smaller, as the Cottonelle brand of toilet paper has announced that Adler has created three designs for them. His work appears not on the tissue itself, but on the “roll covers” which wrap around extra unused rolls. This was not a home product this writer was aware of, nor does needing to artfully present toilet paper rolls make total sense to him, but to each their own. To those for whom it is perfectly clear, Adler’s covers will be available between now and the end of April. Here’s from his statement:

Part of my passion for design is taking everyday objects and turning them into eye-catching conversation pieces and, until now, toilet paper has been a relatively untouched canvas,” said designer Jonathan Adler. “So I was thrilled when Cottonelle approached me to design its spring collection of roll covers.

And here’s the quote wherein he really earned his check:

“When it comes to good design, I believe functionality is key,” Adler added. “These roll covers are a great solution for keeping that extra roll of Cottonelle Clean Care handy and makes it easy to respect the roll that respects you.”

Can’t make it to the Museum at FIT’s brilliant Daphne Guinness exhibition before it closes next Saturday? Peek into the style icon’s colorful imagination with her new limited-edition collection for MAC Cosmetics. Now available nationwide, the 24-piece line includes chilly-toned lipsticks, eye shadow, and nail polish named for some of Guinness’s earthy favorites (Japanese spring, azalea blossom, seasoned plum) and out-of-this-world fascinations (red dwarf, borealis, nebula).

After MAC approached Guinness about a collaboration, she hunkered down with art supplies in her room at the Beverly Hills Hotel. “I had parchment papers spread all over the floor and all sorts of different powders and watercolors that I was mixing together, and my finished pieces were drying on the balcony,” says Guinness, who points to Old Masters such as Titian and Francisco de Zurbarán as a perennial source of inspiration. “And I might say that I’m absolutely fascinated by butterflies and outer space. Blimey, I have pictures from the Hubble space telescope and some of those are just extraordinary, and if you look very closely at a butterfly’s wings or even perhaps a jellyfish, you’ll see there are similarities.” Among her favorite items from the MAC collection is Hyperion, a frosty blue-green nail polish. Explains Guinness, “It resembles this almost grey, steely light that is pure Whistler from the 1890s, when he still had fog in the paintings.”

Looking for even bolder makeup? Next up for MAC is a collection created with rara avis Iris Apfel. Stock up on Toco Toucan (fuschia) nail polish and Early Bird (bright coral) eyeshadow beginning Thursday.

While the ups and downs continue unabated, it’s always nice to end a particularly rocky year on a positive note. The American Institute of Architects have released their latest Architecture Billings Index. Following last month’s welcomed-yet-slight uptick to 49.4, this time things shot all the way up to 52.0 (anything above 50 indicates an increase in billings and gives a more general sense of where things are at in the architecture and construction businesses). Despite the good news, the AIA’s main man of math was his usual cautious self, though it’s fun to imagine that he said the following while wearing a Santa hat and a thick egg nog mustache:

“This is a heartening development for the design and construction industry that only a few years ago accounted for nearly ten percent of overall GDP but has fallen to slightly less than six percent,” said AIA Chief Economist, Kermit Baker, PhD, Hon. AIA. “Hopefully, this uptick in billings is a sign that a recovery phase is in the works. However, given the volatility that we’ve seen nationally and internationally recently, we’ll need to see several more months of positive readings before we’ll have much confidence that the U.S. construction recession is ending.”

And with that, this writer’s week has come to an end. Hope there’s happy holidays to all our readers near and far.

There are plenty of interesting bits and pieces going on outside of architecture as well so far this week, so let’s commence:

After four months of a lockout of unionized art handlers at Sotheby’s, things still don’t seem to be progressing toward stability. According to a report by the Securities and Exchange Commission, the lockout has now cost the auction house $2.4 million in fees ranging from temporary employees to extra security. Meanwhile, Bloomberg reports that the company just gave its CEO, William Ruprecht, a $3 million raise. Union representatives for the art handlers are quick to point out that their entire contract dispute totals $3.3 million.

In Washington DC, the Smithsonian has reportedly hired Wolff Olins to help in a major rebranding. The main thrust of that effort is set to be the roll out of a new tagline next year: “Seriously Amazing.” The Washington Post reports that the organization has thus far paid $1 million “for research and creation of the slogan.”

Speaking of rebranding efforts, the always great Brand New blog has filed its own year end list, starting with their picks for the very worst identity changes in 2011. Unfortunately, it seems to have been written before State Farm unveiled their new logo.

And finally: so much for the potential of the Tate possible eschewing corporate sponsorship from British Petroleum following a full year of protests (and now likely more to come in 2012). The museum has renewed their contract with BP, telling the BBC, “The fact that they had one major incident in 2010 does not mean we should not be taking support from them.”