Groupe PRAMAC, which originated in Italy and which is present on every continent with 6 factories (including Saint Nizier sous Charlieu, 42) and its twenty or so subsidiaries, is adding a third area to its 2 principal activities (materials handling and power generation equipment): PRAMAC ECO POWER, a division which specialises in renewable energies (solar and wind power).

In addition to its photovoltaic solar panels, for several months PRAMAC has been developing a range of individual micro wind turbines (150 Watts to 5 KW), in close partnership with renowned designer Philippe Starck. These wind turbines will be fine objects for integrating into the urban or rural landscape, and will respect the environment (transparent or coloured, silent); “modern sculptures” as defined by Starck. Vertical technology is open to a variety of applications and simplified implementation. Individual wind turbines will allow us to be active in facing up to environmental issues.

JCDecaux / Vélib’, self service bicycles in Paris

Accessible and easy to use, Vélib’, the self-service bicycle system in Paris, was devised with designer Patrick Jouin. The furniture at the bicycle stations, the design of which takes its inspiration from plant life and from movement, blends gently into the urban landscape. The design of new street furniture providing information also retains the theme of the stations. As for the bicycles themselves, which were looked into by JCDecaux, these combine aesthetics and robustness. Their ergonomic design provides users with a feeling of comfort and safety.

BANG&OLUFSEN has always based its reputation on a unique savoir faire with regard to creation, combining technological excellence with an awakening of the senses.
"Each BANG & OLUFSEN product brings together technology, the art of living and design. Glass walls which open up as you approach them, CDs which magically rotate before your eyes while suspended, television screens which turn towards you depending on where you are sitting, and for which the light intensity adjusts itself according to the surrounding lighting. Cutting-edge technology combined with inspiration which always appeals to the emotions. We design our products so that sounds and images come to life and express themselves fully. Technological performance has but one aim: to create emotion."

The aim of design is to push creative, technical and aesthetic limits, as well as those associated with use, so as to meet customer needs.
By adopting a global approach towards design, the team creates strong identities and new sports, and contributes towards improving the readability of its products in store whilst respecting economic issues, with the aim of making the pleasure of sport accessible to as many people as possible. At Artengo, design is driven by the creative and innovative positioning of the brand through the slogan “Serving your inspiration”.

For over twenty years, LAFUMA has been integrating design as an essential vector of progress.
Ergonomic research is prioritised in order to achieve targets with regard to user value: satisfying the needs of performance while optimising comfort is the credo which has resulted in a number of patented products. However, the value of esteem, the immediate attractiveness based on the brand’s strong identity within a hyper-competitive market and the readability of a product segmentation which is ever more sophisticated and overcrowded are a priority for the R2D.
For nearly fifteen years, this culture has been enriching itself with an eco-design process. The “PURE LEAF” label means that these products have been 100% ecologically designed, which has resulted from a design method that promotes a reduction of the environmental impact of products. This approach has become a permanent one and imbues all our products, and it can be illustrated by the famous slogan “less is more”, which is becoming ever more relevant!

Resulting from what Design Legrand and les Sismo call "prospective réaliste" (realistic futurology), the Osselets solution prefigures the ease in relations between technology and man. The aim of this theme is to search for a clear body movement and to use technology as a means of acquiring unobtrusiveness. The board game, jacks handled by the fingertips, projecting information to the palm of the hand, a number of different possibilities which make a powerful technology that is capable of controlling all of life’s scenarios less alarming: lighting, openings, thermal balance, music and home security. The quality of what we provide also applies with regard to the tension between streamlined, refined design and sensuous, fluent ergonomics. Together, Studio Legrand and les Sismo are continuously asking themselves a question: how can we simplify day-to-day management of our habitat (energy saving, accessibility to technologies, feedback, etc.) for the greatest possible number of people and enrich the adaptation of functionalities to each person’s desires ?

Computer program (plug-in) developed for navigating under Firefox 2.0.
Misspelling Generator is a plug-in application for navigating under Firefox that makes it possible to avoid the information control measures in certain countries, by generating spelling variations of a word. Usually misspelled words are Internet’s weak point: here they become a means of defeating censorship. The presentation shows this generator at work on Google China.
Background

2008: M.A. in Media Design, Piet Zwart Institute.