Each week, we share the top five articles that caught our attention. Here are your must-reads, published here and abroad, for the week of October 9th 2017.
Blade Runner and the Power of Sci-Fi World-Building
Blade Runner 2049 and its 1982 predecessor are touted as being among the most visually inventive science fiction films ever made. The fictional future worlds depicted are detailed and comprehensive, but more interestingly, the world-building techniques underlying these possible futures may help us predict and design a future we actually want to live in.
Don’t miss Film Production Designer Alex McDowell at Montreal’s Summit of Design, where he’ll be explaining how world-building shapes real-life design.
Crocs (finally) bites back
The very sight of the signature Crocs “sandal” is enough to stir up the disgust of fashion-forward masses. Well aware of its controversial appeal, the brand has opted to remain silent in the face of such snobbery… until now. Crocs’ new positioning focuses on celebrating the uniqueness of their fans and calling for acceptance from ever-vocal haters. Will this refreshed strategy elevate the brand or fall short?
→ Read it on Fast Company Pocket
What happens when we give up control of our cars
The self-driving car is inching ever closer towards reality. Its initial integration into our day-to-day lives will likely be messy, like it once was for today’s “dumb” vehicles: thundering machines whose unreliability pushed owners to relinquish control over their vehicle to a dedicated chauffeur/mechanic. Now that a driver’s responsibilities are primed to shift once more, what unintended consequences can we expect?
→ Read it on Car and Driver Pocket
Shopping for citizenship
With globalization comes better access to a variety of nations across the world, enabling a lucky (or rather, wealthy) minority to shop for new passports like any other product. Purchase criteria can take into account present need (like escaping a war-torn country) or potential future value (number of countries you’ll be allowed to travel to). How will this commoditization of citizenship affect the way we think of “home”?
→ Read it on 1843 Magazine Pocket
How Millennials are killing casual dining
Millennials are often depicted as being a generation of foodies. They are described as being consumers who eat in restaurants in order to have an experience that can be shared on social media with the #foodporn hashtag. But what does that mean for family-style restaurants like Applebee’s? How can casual dining address the needs of Millennial diners?
→ Read it on Eater Pocket
In your earbuds: Dans les médias
No matter the context in which they’re found, images truly are worth a thousand words! In the weekly show Dans les médias, host Marie-Louise Arsenault and special guests analyze the meanings and implications behind trending media or advertising images.
→ Listen to it on Télé-Québec (In French)
This week’s favourite thing
Behance, beware! The online design collective People of Craft aims to “redefine what a creative looks like”, by featuring creatives of color and their work in design, advertising, tech, illustration, lettering, art, and more.
Image from Vox
