Ask Nature

Nature's elegant solutions to building challenges include the Scots pine's adaptive growth, the thorny devil's passive water collection, and a leaf's on-site energy production. AskNature can help you solve your design challenges.

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BRAND MAPPING TOOL - BRANDZEAL

MADE TO STICK - CHIP & DAN HEATH

Six Principles of Sticky Ideas
According to Chip and Dan, there’s six principles that help you craft a sticky message:

* Principle 1. Simplicity
* Principle 2. Unexpectedness
* Principle 3. Concreteness
* Principle 4. Credibility
* Principle 5. Emotions
* Principle 6. Stories

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The most important piece of software for an Industrial Designer

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BEEDOCS: CREATE TIMELINE CHARTS

Knappe tool om je creatief proces of ontwerpproject chronologisch te illustreren. Geen freeware maar wel een free trial...

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IDEO METHOD CARDS

WAITLESS

Interactive TRIZ Matrix & 40 Principles

The TRIZ Matrix is a database of KNOWN SOLUTIONS (principles) able to OVERCOME CONTRADICTIONS.
I.e, You need a static object to be longer without becoming heavier. This is a contradiction. The improving feature is ' #4, length of stationary object ' and the worsening factor is ' #2, weight of stationary object '. Use the matrix to discover possible ways of solutions, the PRINCIPLES.

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MOODSTREAM - GETTY IMAGES

Moodstream is a powerful new brainstorming tool. Looking for something happy? Move the slider. A bit more warmth? Tweak it again. With every adjustment you make, Moodstream delivers a new set of images, footage and music to help take your creative in inspiring, unexpected directions.

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What does design thinking feel like?

Design thinking is different and therefore it feels different.

Firstly it is not only convergent. It is a series of divergent and convergent steps. During divergence we are creating choices and during convergence we are making choices. For people who are looking to have a good sense of the answer, or at least a previous example of one, before they start divergence is frustrating. It almost feels like you are going backwards and getting further away from the answer but this is the essence of creativity. Divergence needs to feel optimistic, exploratory and experimental but it often feels foggy to people who are more used to operating on a plan. Divergence has to be supported by the culture. ...

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GOOGLE SKETCHUP

Google SketchUp is software that you can use to create, modify and share 3D models. It's easier to learn than other 3D modeling programs, which is why so many people are already using it.

We designed SketchUp's simplified toolset, guided drawing system and clean look-and-feel to help you concentrate on two things: getting your work done as efficiently as possible, and having fun while you're doing it.

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RESCUE TIME

RescueTime is a web-based time management and analytics tool for knowledge workers who want to be more productive. The best way to get a sense of how it works is to sign up (for free!). You'll be up and running in a minute or two.

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Interview Sir Ken Robinson on creativity and education

In this interview on AlJazeeraEnglish, former CNN news anchor Riz Khan speaks with world renowned creativity and education expert Sir Ken Robinson who strongly believes the current state of education may begin holistically but progressively focuses "on the head, and then just to one side."

Aviary - Creative Applications

Aviary is a suite of powerful creative applications that you can use right in your web browser. It's also a community of friendly artists to share and collaborate with. Aviary is Trustware. They allow you full access to the tools, but trust you to pay for them.

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ADOBE PHOTOSHOP EXPRESS

Photoshop Express is a powerful image editing tool. Quickly upload photos and crop, rotate or add effects on the fly. With 2GB of free storage, this is a great solution for photo editing on the go.

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STICKY NOTE EXPERIMENT - EEPYBIRD

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ffffound - image bookmarking

FFFFOUND! is a web service that not only allows the users to post and share their favorite images found on the web, but also dynamically recommends each user's tastes and interests for an inspirational image-bookmarking experience!!

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SEE THE WORDS

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DESIGN INSITE - TU DENMARK

Design inSite is the Designer's guide to manufacturing. Various manufacturing processes and materials are described as well as the products where they are used. The purpose of Design inSite is to inspire designers in their designwork to consider materials and processes which are new or unknown to them. By being aware of the new possibilities already in an early stage of the development process new and innovative products will emerge.

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DINBELG

This site is the result of the research project "DINBelg 2005". The aim is to gather up-to-date anthropometric dimensions of the Belgian population.

The human body dimensions are useful for designers of products, interiors or buildings,... The ergonomists can also use these data when designing or evaluating work places.

To enhance the user-friendliness of the dimensions, 433 students of the Flemish design schools were questioned by means of a written questionnaire. It was asked how the students use anthropometry nowadays and what they would suggest for improvement.

The navigation on the left will help you further to concrete dimensions or extra information about the calculations.

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