Designing new layouts for the Laboratoire, Mathieu Lehanneur has created functional spaces on the borderline between art and science: LaboBrain is a private think-tank, LaboShop, a public sales outlet.

I think this is a great idea. It's always a hassle to gather everything when ppl are coming over so having them all at the same place in a nice-looking desk is great..

"The arrow-shaped carpet does not only symbolize the
 warm welcome, but can also indicate directions.

The light weight objects offer the guest the freedom to position the bedding as they like.
 The series doesn’t have to be hidden in the attic anymore, but forms an ensemble which can stay in the living space. The series simplifies having guests and therefore supports hospitality - a very important virtue in a globalised world.

Stay at my home is the Bachelor thesis by the Swiss in Industrial design students Luzia Kälin und Nicole Lehner. They finished their studies at FHNW Gestaltung & Kunst, Aarau in summer 2008. The project was supported by Johannes Fuchs und Adrien Rovero.

London to get new buses by 2011:
"The winning designs and ideas will be developed into final designs by bus manufacturers. The first prototype of the new bus will be produced by 2011."

Contagious cushions! Four large, comfy cushions adorned with the Contagious logo and URL were placed outside the infamous ‘Gutter Bar’ on the Croisette between the hours of 11pm and 4am every night during the festival. They symbolise the ‘Branded Utility’ trend that Contagious helped to identify – the provision of useful services rather than traditional advertising messages.

The Gutter Bar is seen as the unofficial social hub of the Cannes Lions festival. Several hundred attendees frequent this small, street-corner bar until the early hours of the morning. The problem is, space is at a premium which means people end up standing talking for hours on end. The Contagious cushions were designed to provide some generous, welcome relief while promoting the brand in a surprising, subtle way.

Contagious magazine reveals the biggest/nicest/whatever advertising and marketing initiatives of the year.
warning: pdf
"‘If 2006 was about user-generated content and 2007 about social
media, then 2008 is about the conversation.’ So predicted
Contagious editor Paul Kemp-Robertson in The International Herald
Tribune back in January. ‘In other words, brands will have to steel
themselves to the idea that marketing is a two-way street, not just a
conduit for directing their messages toward pliant consumers.’
Welcome to Most Contagious 2008. Lasting way longer than a
Christmas card, this is our review of the most talked-about trends and
technologies that have influenced the global marketing industry over
the past 12 months. Contagious Magazine’s mission is to spread the
gospel of non-traditional media and innovative thinking, so please feel
free to pass this on."

TAXMOBIL propose a monthly fee for unlimited taxi rides. I'd love that here.

Taxmobil brings you from door to door - an unlimited amount of times in a month
For only EUR 48 (CHF 75) a month - just like a "taxi flat rate".

Airport Havens lets users search from a list of airports across the United States to find recommendations on where to head for a break or to get some work done during that 5-hour layover. Suggestions are derived from tips submitted by fellow road warriors, such as one from James of Brookfield, Wisc., for example, recommending "a hidden lounge which no one seems to know about" at LAX: "There is a nice, soft sofa on which you can spread out and get some work done. Similar suggestions can be found for more than 40 other airports in the nation, and users of the site are invited to submit their own as well.

3M even sponsored a real, offline airport haven of its own at the Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport during the two days prior to Thanksgiving. On Tuesday, Nov. 25 and Wednesday, Nov. 26—infamous as two of the busiest travel days of the year—the 3M Privacy Filters Airport Haven offered Atlanta travellers VIP service with free wifi, snacks, beverages and massages.

The magazine is opening a store, called the Teen Vogue Haute Spot, in the Mall at Short Hills in New Jersey. But the magazine does not intend to sell merchandise.

Instead, the store will be a place for girls to relax, try on clothes and drink smoothies — all while marketers woo them.

A new retail experiment in Hollywood, CA, Space 15 Twenty creates an opportunity for Urban Outfitters to collaborate with creative brands we find inspiring and interesting.

The Urban Outfitters store will feature one-off installations by a new designer every few months. Alongside the 11,000 square foot Urban Outfitters store, Space 15 Twenty will host a selection of vendors. The revolving brands utilizing these spaces will reflect and compliment Urban Outfitters and present our customers with an overarching view of people and brands which are excited to be aligned with.

At Christmas time we should always spare a thought for those less fortunate than us. After 20 years of bleeding the world, the global financial community has fallen on hard times. These people desperately need our thoughts, prayers and lots of our money. If you have any investments or savings left, or any money left over at the end of the month please, please give generously. Merry Christmas.

9 persons, 1 stereotype.
an analysis of consumption group of reference through photography