Digital Dreams: The Work of the Sony Design Center Review

An Unusual Book, July 28, 2007
By Ray “A Reader” – See all my reviews

This book is a somewhat dated, but nevertheless gorgeous, panorama of product design Sony’s way, and with their distinguished record of outstanding design work for some half a century, they are certainly in the position to tell us something about design. Never mind Sony’s missteps and forays into the world of media and movies – this book tells us all about the Sony WE know, the company that developed the Trinitron television, the Walkman player, the MiniDisc recorder, and brought both cassettes and CD-ROM’s into mainstream use (with its co-partner, Philips of the Netherlands). Digital Dreams tells us not so much about products, but how products are envisioned, designed, and ultimately walked through a lifecycle. It’s a fun-filled story, filled with stunning graphic designs, gorgeous pictures and artwork, and even a little on how Sony viewed its business at the year 1999.

Though this book is not intended to do so, the book actually serves as a great case study for the field of Knowledge Management. For example, we learn a little bit about corporation logos, how they are best used to leverage their tacit value, and even thoughts on protecting them. We peek into the world of tacit knowledge and skills at Sony, and see how they are implemented in product design and even in marketing efforts. We learn about the creation of a CONCEPT that is materialized in a product (i.e., the MiniDisk recorder, the Memory Stick, the VAIO computer) which is as much about the psychology of human beings as it is the design of the product. As such, the text could easily serve as a supplemental text for a KM course, as well as it’s obvious use in a graphic arts, products design, or business-oriented course.

Much of this information is now no longer of great interest to today’s consumer due to it’s release date of 1999, but it is remarkable to see the “timelessness “of the many designs in the book, and there is really not a dull moment to be found between the covers. In some ways, this was a great date to release such a book, because the VAIO computers were just beginning to hit the market, CyberShot digital cameras where just becoming available, and the Memory Stick was also just showing up, as well. If you can still get a copy of this book and you are interested in product design, graphic arts, consumer technology, and yes, even Sony itself, this book should be just what you’re looking for.

Digital Dreams: The Work of the Sony Design Center Overview

For the past half century, the Sony Corporation has been highly successful at tapping the seductive nature of consumer electronics. Around the globe their ubiquitous products are recognized as symbols of cutting-edge technology and innovative design, making Sony the undisputed leader in high tech and one of the most recognized brand names in the world. Digital Dreams takes an unprecedented look inside the world’s most influential design center and their products–many never before published–for the next millennium. With nearly 250 industrial designers; graphic, packaging, and logotype designers; user-interface specialists and Web designers working in offices from Tokyo to San Francisco to Cologne, the Sony Design Center is responsible for nearly 2,000 new products, concepts, packaging schemes and design strategies every year, driving sales of products and services totalling nearly billion per year. By shaping the most pivotal technologies of our time, the Design Center exerts a greater influence on popular culture and current trends in industrial and graphic design than any other single entity. As Sony stands perched on the new millennium, its design team is now redefining virtually every major product line in the company’s vast consumer electronics sector–launching Sony’s definitive leap from analog to digital technology. Until now, the work of the Design Center has been shrouded in secrecy. Digital Dreams is the first comprehensive preview of the technological and aesthetic vision that will dominate the landscape of the next century. This book surveys Sony’s twenty-first-century product line, examining more than 100 new products, concepts and prototypes. Following the transition to digital technology, Digital Dreams reveals the corporation’s techniques and design philosophy at work. Everyone who listens to music, watches movies or TV, carries a Walkman, or communicates by telephone or the Internet will be affected by the “digital dream” now taking shape at Sony.

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Graphic Design Vocational Schools offer the skills needed to become a working digital artist. Graphic Design Trade Schools teach animation, website design, interactive media design, digital art production, digital publishing, 2D and 3D computer graphics, DVD authoring, vector graphics, image processing, and much more.

Vocational schools use a variety of software packages to teach students to create visual effects for movies, websites, video games, and other graphic design fields. Many Graphic Design Vocational Schools offer college degrees including an Associate of Arts in Business Administration (AABA) in Visual Communication; a Bachelor of Science in Information Technology, Graphics, and Multimedia; and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Visual Communication. A bachelor’s degree is required for most graphic design positions, but an associate degree may suffice for entry-level positions .

Vocational Graphic Design graduates can find employment in printing and related support activities; specialized design services; advertising and related services; or book, newspaper, periodical, and directory publishing. Some designers find positions in engineering services or for scientific, management, or technical consulting firms. Graphic Design professionals also find jobs creating computer graphics for computer systems design firms or motion picture production firms.

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DISCLAIMER: Above is a GENERAL OVERVIEW and may or may not reflect specific practices, courses and/or services associated with ANY ONE particular school(s) that is or is not advertised on SchoolsGalore.com.

Copyright 2007 – All rights reserved by SchoolsGalore.com, in association with Media Positive Communications, Inc.

Notice: Publishers are free to use this article on an ezine or website, provided the article is reprinted in its entirety, including copyright and disclaimer, and ALL links remain intact and active.

Michael Bustamante is a staff writer for Media Positive Communications, Inc. in association with SchoolsGalore.com. Find Graphic Design Schools, Colleges, Universities, Vocational Schools, and Online Schools at SchoolsGalore.com, your educational resource to locate schools.

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Many people only think they are doing custom catalog printing. In reality they are just doing what most other people are doing, using templates and boring pre-made layouts.

That is why when you look at most catalog printing today, most look the same with only a few differences in color and layout. For a truly customized catalog, you have to do it yourself. You have to be original and create all the elements of color catalogs in accordance with your own preferences.

In this guide, I will tell you how to create one all your own.

o Your own name – The first thing that your catalog needs to be truly customized is its own name. Do not name it exactly like your company or store. It has to have its own name and its own identity that is related to the theme of your company. This ensures the individuality of your catalog that should help people realize its originality. The more unique your color catalog looks like, the more curious people will be about it.

o Your own logo – Your color catalogs should also have its own special logo that is related to your company. While of course, the company logo is perfectly welcome in most catalog printing, having a unique logo or name print, can really make it into its own medium. Using the custom name described above, you can pretty much design a special logo for your catalog. You can make it as distinctive as the “name-logo” of Vogue or Playboy if you can.

o Your own language – You should also have your catalog speak its own unique language. Do not just describe and dictate information like a textbook at people. It must exude the lifestyle that it promotes through your products. So make sure that all the descriptions are appropriate for the audience who should read it. For example, techie ones should be quite geeky when possible, while luxury ones must exude that sense of elegance that rich audiences are used to. Doing this makes the catalog uniquely part of the society that reads it, giving it its identity and its own voice.

o Your own design style – Another big reminder for customization is the design. The design style must be your own for your color catalogs to be truly original. That means scrapping the use of templates and themes and doing everything you need from scratch. This makes your designs truly your own style, something that people should identify easily among the rest.

That is how you can truly customize your catalogs. The more you customize the more unique your they should be, and as long as you are distinct among the rest, you should have a great advantage in business. Good Luck!

Katie Marcus writes about the custom catalog printing or catalog printing technologies used by businesses for their marketing and advertising campaigns.

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