Phoenix Design

The first round of DesignTalking on the topic of Design & Innovation took place on July 12 at the hansgrohe Aquademie in Schiltach. Various media representatives were connected live and were able to ask open questions after the interview with Jan Heisterhagen, Vice President Product Management and Engineering, hansgrohe and Matthias Oesterle, Design Director, Phoenix Design. We are pleased about the good response and are looking forward to your questions at the next DesignTalking!

Let's start DesignTalking - What influence does design have on innovation? And how does a long-term partnership succeed in reinventing products again and again? The invited journalists already learned on Monday that there is usually no direct briefing or kick-off for a new shower family, as the development process of a new shower family is created jointly. How the innovation and design process works was explained using the example of Pulsify. The participants were able to test the shower experience at home with the Pulsify hand shower.

How crucial user testing is for the development of new products was highlighted by both parties with various anecdotes "from the shower". Design is thought from people and is user-centred - so the jet test lab and various shower stagings are not to be missed. Depending on the results of the user testing, not all ideas and approaches can be pursued further. Matthias Oesterle revealed that it can be tough for the designers when it's "Kill your darling".

We are looking forward to the next Insights, when it's DesignTalking again!

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Franziska Warnke Communication Manager
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What do most of our conversations revolve around? The topic of bicycles is omnipresent at Phoenix Design. We have already been able to prove our fitness through our "Studio Connect Ride" from Munich to Stuttgart. So the city cycling initiative is just right for the Phoenixes. The starting signal will be given in three days: from 20.06. to 10.07. you can diligently track kilometres for Stuttgart! The location does not matter at first, as climate change does not adhere to any city or country borders. Nevertheless, you will be cycling for a team and a city or municipality. The Climate Alliance will then award prizes for the results in five size categories. We think this is a great campaign that is worth supporting!

About Phoenix Design: Phoenix Design is a design and innovation studio creating smart and substantial brand experiences, that make eminent business sense and which touch people – today, for tomorrow. Since 1987, products, interactions, and digital ecosystems have been created based on the fundamental values of Logic, Morals, and Magic. More than 900 design awards confirm the quality and continuity of the worldwide work. Today, the team comprising about 70 international experts at the Stuttgart, Munich, and Shanghai locations – together with its partners – are creating a joint vision of Smart Living.

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Franziska Warnke Communication Manager
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With a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and a Bachelor of Arts in Industrial Design from HTW Berlin, he will support us in the development of further business areas and in project work in the future. We are delighted about this addition to the Business Development and Communications team and wish him a good start at Phoenix.

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Franziska Warnke Communication Manager
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 M +49 173 7294632

This year's CTO Spring Forum on May 06 is situationally themed "Innovation in times of COVID". In close cooperation with Ralph Zebregs, Partner of ForChiefs, Principal Designer Moritz Kemper will speak on the topic "Innovation and Purpose". In their keynote, they demonstrate the high relevance of the topic of purpose in an enterprise in today's world. They highlight the contribution design can make to translate the company's purpose into products and services in order to establish a close connection with the user of these artifacts. The goal is to adopt honest attitudes and implement them end-to-end throughout the innovation process.

Ralph Zebregs studied Business Administration and Psychology in the Netherlands and has worked for organizations such as Unilever, Philips and Deutsche Bahn for more than 18 years. His many focus was helping leaders within these companies upgrade their ambitions and reset their goals. Currently Ralph is partner at ForChiefs, where he sees his passion in helping people define their ambitions by empowering the right people to create movement towards extraordinary and lasting results.

Moritz Kemper studied a BA in Industrial Design and an MA in Interaction Design. After his Master's degree at the Zurich University of the Arts he worked as an assistant and lecturer in the field of Interaction Design teaching and researching for several years, creating synergies between theory and practice. Moritz Kemper is currently a UX/UI Principal Designer at Phoenix Design and is responsible to guide internal and external teams to create innovative products and services.

About CTO Forum: The CTO Forum is a series of events organized by the Diesel Board of Trustees under the motto: “The CTO is responsible for the company's technical vision”. The members of the Diesel Board of Trustees invite colleagues to the CTO forum in order to discuss the current challenges facing CTOs across industries, to exchange experiences, to network better personally and to evaluate solutions from experts.

About Diesel Curatorium: The Diesel Curatorium is the electoral body of the German Institute for Inventions (DIE), which has been awarding the Rudolf Diesel Medal, Germany's oldest innovation prize, since 1953. The members are corporate executives, technical directors and managing directors. The members of the Diesel Curatorium are accompanied by the technical-scientific advisory board, which supervises the editorial staff of the Innovation Management Support.

About Phoenix Design: Phoenix Design is a design and innovation studio creating smart and substantial brand experiences that make eminent business sense and which touch people – today, for tomorrow. Since 1987, products, interactions, and digital ecosystems have been created based on the fundamental values of Logic, Morals, and Magic. More than 800 design awards (1st place – iF World Design Index, Design Studios) confirm the quality and continuity of the worldwide work, i. a. the award of honour "Red Dot: Design Team of the Year 2018". Today, the team comprising 80 international experts at the Stuttgart, Munich, and Shanghai locations – together with its partners – are creating a joint vision of Smart Living.

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Franziska Warnke Communication Manager

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But wellbeing at home isn’t simply about softer cushions, sturdier build or labour-saving convenience anymore. New technology-infused lifestyles have led to an extended understanding of wellbeing and new consumer expectations towards what a home should do for us.

In his talk, Joon-Mo Lee muses about the meanings of home and the necessity to look for innovation beyond the comfort zone of traditional business perspectives. The full lecture is provided here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGDpiMdlC2E&t=624s

The lecture contributes about the strong connection of design and wellbeing. The title ‘home beyond comfort’ plays with two key ideas. On the one hand, we must start understanding the idea of ‘home’ as being more than just a place of comfort. From managing digital lifestyles to supporting their desire for self-realisation, today’s consumers have many other expectations towards what a modern home should do to help them feel well, hence ‘beyond comfort’. On the other hand, the title refers to the idiom ‘outside your comfort zone’. Innovation occurs when we allow ourselves to move beyond the comfort zone of our industrial expertise. For if we don’t, we can’t generate new perspectives, and will simply end up creating more of the same. It’s not expertise that inspires innovation, but courage to leave the confines of what we already know.

Here you can find the full interview.

About interzum: Koelnmesse GmbH's interzum is the leading platform for the furniture manufacturing and interior design industry. Here, the trends and visions for the design of future living spaces become visible in the form of modern materials, outstanding design and exclusive new development. Due to the Corona pandemic, interzum 2021 will be held purely digitally from May 04-04. Numerous exciting formats will enable an innovative trade fair experience that you should not miss. Because contact with decision-makers, opinion leaders, multipliers and trendsetters has never been more important. Look forward to a successful year with interzum @home 2021!

About Phoenix Design: Phoenix Design is a design and innovation studio creating smart and substantial brand experiences that make eminent business sense and which touch people – today, for tomorrow. Since 1987, products, interactions, and digital ecosystems have been created based on the fundamental values of Logic, Morals, and Magic. More than 800 design awards (1st place – iF World Design Index, Design Studios) confirm the quality and continuity of the worldwide work, i. a. the award of honour "Red Dot: Design Team of the Year 2018". Today, the team comprising 80 international experts at the Stuttgart, Munich, and Shanghai locations – together with its partners – are creating a joint vision of Smart Living.

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Franziska Warnke Communication Manager

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M +49 173 7294632

As a former IDEO employee, he has experienced the developments of Design Thinking in his training and career from the very beginning, so to speak. The definition of design thinking leaves as much room for interpretation as the design definition itself. The application of the so-called "design thinking" can be understood as the antithesis of a kind of "managerial thinking", whereby the latter has been making increasing use of the "design thinking" for some time. The design way of thinking, whose tools adapt to the situation, can be learned fundamentally, but should - as with all other disciplines - be accompanied by the actors with the most experience, in this case the designers.

In the world of business and management consulting, however, design thinking has been a supposedly new term for some time. Design Thinking is often described as a kind of new method, which is not result- but process-oriented. The methods of Design Thinking actually originated in design education and have therefore been used by designers for years. Put simply, it is about putting the user in the focus of all developments, as well as working iteratively and experimentally and thus acting less from the point of view of the company.

The Quarterly article, appropriately titled "Why does the shower have to smell?" lays out the different understandings of design thinking using RainTunes as an example. The end result of the hansgrohe shower scenarios in collaboration with Phoenix shows a consistent orientation towards the user, which also answers the title question. Even if it seems strange to many at first glance to equip a shower with additional fragrances, light or music, our user surveys in the design thinking process resulted in a different verdict. One question that remains open, however: Does the application of design thinking in other business areas turn designers into mere stylists, or are they now the actual experts?

About Phoenix Design: Phoenix Design is a design and innovation studio creating smart and substantial brand experiences that make eminent business sense and which touch people – today, for tomorrow. Since 1987, products, interactions, and digital ecosystems have been created based on the fundamental values of Logic, Morals, and Magic. More than 800 design awards (1st place – iF World Design Index, Design Studios) confirm the quality and continuity of the worldwide work, i. a. the award of honour "Red Dot: Design Team of the Year 2018". Today, the team comprising 80 international experts at the Stuttgart, Munich, and Shanghai locations – together with its partners – are creating a joint vision of Smart Living.

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Franziska Warnke Communication Manager
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M +49 173 7294632

Claudia Tietge, Design Business Manager, Stephan Thiemt, Senior UX Designer and Carolin Schmitt, Senior Design Researcher teach students at the Stuttgart Media University (HdM) in the Service Design module of the Information Design course across semesters.
 
The module focused on the current challenges of the food industry in terms of transport of goods, sustainable food sourcing and circular economy. The students were asked to address the question, "How can we design a service that empowers people to source their food in an independent, sustainable, healthy and transparent way?" For the assignment on the topic, the total of 14 students were divided into groups. The solution finding process was supported by the Phoenixes through appropriate feedback rounds. In addition, hypotheses and guiding questions for the design research were to be formulated and, based on these, an approach with a suitable method was to be selected.
 
The results were as varied as the needs and requirements of people for the shopping experience. In the first concept, customers scan their purchases to find out additional information about origin, transport route and Co2 footprint, for example. In another concept, students addressed the question of whether sustainability is a luxury or if everyone can afford a sustainable lifestyle. The third approach dealt with the intersection of sustainability and vegetarian food. The challenge of using service design to change behaviors and confront habits was cleverly solved by students in a variety of ways.

The designers were able to provide valuable feedback to the students through real-world experience and best practice cases. Over the six-month period, impulse presentations were repeatedly set for processing in order to get closer to the final result before the digital final presentation could take place at the end of February - an enriching exchange for both sides.

About Hochschule der Medien: Hochschule der Medien is a public university (funded by the state of Baden-Württemberg) which teaches media specialists. Since September 1st, 2001, Hochschule der Medien has brought together the combined know-how of the former Fachhochschule für Druck und Medien (HDM) – a traditional educational institution for printing- and media-technologies - and Hochschule für Bibliotheks- und Informationswesen (HBI). Hochschule der Medien covers a broad spectrum of media expertise: from printed media to electronic media, from design to business administration, from library science to advertising, from content for media to packaging technology, from computer science to information science to publishing and electronic media. About 30 accredited Bachelor’s and Master’s degree programmes mirror this diversity. At the moment, more than 5000 students are enrolled at the university.

About Phoenix Design: Phoenix Design is a design and innovation studio creating smart and substantial brand experiences that make eminent business sense and which touch people – today, for tomorrow. Since 1987, products, interactions, and digital ecosystems have been created based on the fundamental values of Logic, Morals, and Magic. More than 800 design awards (1st place – iF World Design Index, Design Studios) confirm the quality and continuity of the worldwide work, i. a. the award of honour "Red Dot: Design Team of the Year 2018". Today, the team comprising 80 international experts at the Stuttgart, Munich, and Shanghai locations – together with its partners – are creating a joint vision of Smart Living.

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Franziska Warnke Communication Manager
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M +49 173 7294632

On March 1, 2021, we welcomed Aditi Surana and Adrian Klewe from the Grand École de Design ISD Rubika in France and the University of Applied Sciences Berlin. We are excited to learn more about Indian culture through Aditi, as well as her design studies in India and France, and are looking forward to Adrian's input in the areas of sustainability and universal design thinking. Over the next six months, they will be supporting Stuttgart teams 1 and 2, spending what we hope will be an educational time at the Phoenix Design Academy.

We are looking forward to fresh perspectives and hope to be able to fulfill our role in promoting young talent. Welcome to Stuttgart to both of you!

In the current issue of H.O.M.E Magazine, Matthias Oesterle, Design Director at Phoenix Design talks about current trends in the bathroom. Thanks to his many years of experience in supporting and advising Hansgrohe, the designer has a sound overview of future developments in the bathroom.

Particularly due to the pandemic situation, the demands on living space are changing, rooms are being used more diversely. The bathroom is thereby increasingly integrated into the living space, missing Spa attendance is tried to replace by the own bath. Individual products are taking a back seat; instead, the bathroom is being thought of as an overall concept, and the focus is increasingly on the experience.

The bathroom is becoming a place of retreat by combining various technologies. Many can now be unobtrusively integrated into any bathroom, thus contributing to relaxation and making the dream of one's own wellness bathroom a reality. The networking of the individual products also plays a significant role in enabling a holistic experience.

More about the interview in the current H.O.M.E issue.

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Franziska Warnke Communication Manager
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M +49 173 7294632

On 08 March, women* in particular demonstrate around the world to stand up for equal rights for all genders and against discrimination against women. Men also strike, as a particularly popular 2018 example in Spain showed, to draw attention to women's unpaid "care work."

Demonstrations have been held on this day for over 100 years. Its roots lie in the women employers' movement of the late 19th, early 20th century to send a signal for equal rights, higher wages, better working conditions for women, voting rights for women and against discrimination. However, the motto of this year's Women's Day "more union, more equality, more than ever" shows that a large part of the goals have not been achieved to date.

The pandemic situation further exacerbates gender inequalities. Women in particular are affected by income losses, perform the majority of care work and have to reduce their working hours to do so. Nationwide events are to draw attention to the unequal conditions. Numerous physical, as well as digital, events are also planned in Stuttgart. The city of Stuttgart is even giving employees time off to participate.

For team composition and best possible results, we value balanced teams and will continue to advocate for gender-appropriate language, as well as representation of all genders at Phoenix Design.

*meaning everyone who identifies as a woman.

>>> More at German Union Confederation

About DGB - German Trade Union Confederation: The German Trade Union Confederation (DGB - Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund) is the umbrella organization for eight German trade unions. Together, the DGB member unions represent the interests of over 5,9 million people. This makes the DGB by far the largest confederation of trade unions in Germany and one of the biggest national confederations of trade unions worldwide.

About Phoenix Design: Phoenix Design is a design and innovation studio creating smart and substantial brand experiences that make eminent business sense and which touch people – today, for tomorrow. Since 1987, products, interactions, and digital ecosystems have been created based on the fundamental values of Logic, Morals, and Magic. More than 800 design awards (1st place – iF World Design Index, Design Studios) confirm the quality and continuity of the worldwide work, i. a. the award of honour "Red Dot: Design Team of the Year 2018". Today, the team comprising 80 international experts at the Stuttgart, Munich, and Shanghai locations – together with its partners – are creating a joint vision of Smart Living. www.phoenixdesign.com/en

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Franziska Warnke Communication Manager
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M +49 173 7294632

In an intensive, eight-hour workshop on strategy and the current MVP, we were able to incorporate our brand and UX expertise and develop ideas for the next generation of the ClimatePartner You app together with Gerrit Mewes and his team.

We addressed the following central questions: What makes ClimatePartner You unique? Which core values should be tangible? But also, very concretely - how can people be motivated to become active for the climate - far beyond CO2 offsetting?

We really enjoyed the positive discussions and the development of creative ideas with ClimatePartner You and can't wait for the next release of the app.

If you would like to calculate and offset your ecological footprint, here is the MVP.

About Leaders for Climate Action: LFCA is a coalition of leaders committed to active action against the climate crisis. The initiative emerged in early 2019 in Berlin's startup scene. The idea: to leverage the influence of leaders in their companies to achieve the fastest possible transformation to a sustainable economy. >>> More about LFCA

About Phoenix Design: Phoenix Design is a design and innovation studio creating smart and substantial brand experiences that make eminent business sense and which touch people – today, for tomorrow. Since 1987, products, interactions, and digital ecosystems have been created based on the fundamental values of Logic, Morals, and Magic. More than 890 design awards (1st place – iF World Design Index, Design Studios) confirm the quality and continuity of the worldwide work, i. a. the award of honour "Red Dot: Design Team of the Year 2018". Today, the team comprising 80 international experts at the Stuttgart, Munich, and Shanghai locations – together with its partners – are creating a joint vision of Smart Living.

Contact: Enable JavaScript to view protected content.

Franziska Warnke Communication Manager
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M +49 173 7294632

We would like to thank you for your active support in the teams and wish you all the best on your further way, which will surely cross Phoenix again at one or the other place!

Over 170 interns have already taken on this task at the Phoenix Design Academy - the varying results, however, do not suggest that it is always the same task: The six-month internship is followed by the yo-yo design over a period of three days. This part of the promotion of young talent is supported by designers and model makers, who assist the budding designers with their expertise. This year, the final presentation will take place partly digitally, but still in front of the entire team.

What makes this year's yo-yo designs so special? The weight! They were supposed to be particularly light this time, and in addition only manual tools were allowed to be used for their production - which makes the precise models even more impressive.

The YO-YO-book >>> YO-YO from 1987 – 2014 can be requested: Enable JavaScript to view protected content.">Enable JavaScript to view protected content.