tobias wacker

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Sat, 18 May 2013 19:38:00 +0200

Strangely beautiful photographs of airports by Jeffrey Milstein,...

Mon, 08 Apr 2013 21:28:00 +0200

Strangely beautiful photographs of airports by Jeffrey Milstein, proving that airports are some of the most complex and awesome things on the planet.

Some amazing music from Brazil’s Tropkillaz. I don’t...

Sun, 07 Apr 2013 00:08:04 +0200

Some amazing music from Brazil’s Tropkillaz. I don’t even know what to call this. Mariachi Bass? Tropical Trap?

Kowloon Walled City never seizes to amaze!

Sat, 23 Mar 2013 21:33:00 +0100

Kowloon Walled City never seizes to amaze!

From XLR8R comes an awesome interview with DJ Spoko in his South...

Tue, 19 Mar 2013 23:21:24 +0100

From XLR8R comes an awesome interview with DJ Spoko in his South Africa tin shack studio. The words are cool, the pictures are just sick. Growing up in the rural township of Atteridgeville, he developed his own music style dubbed “Bacardi House.” No cheesy tropical bass drops here, DJ Spoko serves up African infused minimal house.

I grew up in the Black Forest. It sounds bit like a joke. The...

Mon, 18 Mar 2013 22:49:00 +0100

I grew up in the Black Forest. It sounds bit like a joke. The land of cakes, ham, and cuckoo clocks – it’s just not a place real people come from. By German standards, the region is crazy rural. It takes forever to drive across its narrow valleys and steep mountain passes. Globalization seems like a very theoretical concept. But don’t be fooled, these sleepy villages are an economic powerhouse.

Back in the 80s, Steve Jobs traveled to the town of Altensteig to meet with Hartmut Essslinger of local design firm frog, who would go on to design the Apple IIc. Today, hundreds of mid-size companies, the so-called Mittelstand, make highly specialized equipment for the world. Headquartered in places like Schiltach with offices in Dubai and Tianjin, China. Yet, all these global ambitions don’t seem impact life too much. It’s as if all foreign ideas and experiences are left behind on airplanes.

I grew up here, but I still can’t understand the dialect. It’s practically incomprehensible for outsiders and sometimes changes from town to town. As a kid, my mom would send me to the neighbor’s farm to pick up milk. I was terrified because the lady of the house loved to chat, but I simply could not understand what she was talking about. We keep a solid diet of smoked meats and chase away winter by dressing up in terrifying costumes.

In recent years, this fierce hyperlocalism started to attract young chefs and artists in search of unironic authenticity. The New York Times even published a story titled “In the Black Forest, Tradition Updated.” Obviously, this way of life is not for everyone. It’s most certainly not for me. But in this day and age, the Black Forest might be the perfect lesson on how to embrace the world without becoming homogeneous.

Recently, I’m reading more and more that we need to move from...

Tue, 12 Mar 2013 21:45:00 +0100

Recently, I’m reading more and more that we need to move from experiences to engagement. According to some folks, experiences are passive while engagements are active and therefore better. I believe that this notion is fundamentally flawed and suggests some confusion about what those two actually do.

On its face, engagement doesn’t mean much. We can engage all day long, but does anything actually happen? The gold standard for engagement are still online communities and comment sections. Have you recently looked at a typical CNN comment section? Shouting, insults and hatemongering; everything but a thoughtful discourse. I’m certainly engaged, but I’m also stressed the hell out once I’m done. Of course, there are plenty of positive examples, like Coke’s amazing Chok! Chok! Chok! campaign in Hong Kong. But what made the campaign so successful? Was it engagement or experience? Probably both. People could have engaged by simply shaking their phone. But what made the campaign so successful was all the other stuff: Kids met with their friends to shake phones together. Families hosted parties leading up to the 10pm TV ads. And most importantly, it was a completely novel, well, experience.

So, what exactly is an experience? In theory, it’s simply an event we encounter. But in reality, experiences are events that create emotional reactions, events that create memories. From a branding perspective, we can assume that, maybe with the exception of Ryanair, we all strive to create positive experiences. In other words, we are creating positive memories associated with our brand. In doing so, brands become active agents in people’s lives. On a philosophical level, this means a lot to me, since I usually care about the products I’m working on. Conveniently, it also means that people want to come back to your product.

To sum things up, I’m not arguing that engagement is bad. Nope, it’s great! But in order to be effective, the engagement should be a positive experience. For me, the goal is always that customers walk away with a smile. It’s like the frosting on top of the cake. Or in my case, the oh so delicious spicy sauce on top of the chicken.

Thanks to Detropia, the internet is all about Detroit these...

Tue, 05 Feb 2013 01:02:40 +0100

Thanks to Detropia, the internet is all about Detroit these days. Sadly, a lot of the blogging still focuses on ruin porn and how effed up the city is. I would like to remind everyone of an important fact: There are still people living in Detroit. 800,000 of them. That’s a lot of people. There are still kids growing up in Detroit. Kids that go to school, dream about the future and play basketball.

The Detroit I got to know is a city of proud and caring people. A city that went to hell but never lost its hope. A city of character, creativity and delicious food. Maybe you should visit in the spring when wild flowers bloom on empty housing lots to cover the city like a colorful blanket. Come and try awesome chacuterie from Porktown and see live jazz at the legendary Café d’Mongo’s. While you are there, you can even take a picture of an abandoned factory. It’s OK; ruins are a part of Detroit. But they do not equal Detroit.

Detroit hustles harder.

I just received a lovely edition of George Orwell’s Down and Out...

Fri, 25 Jan 2013 17:51:00 +0100

I just received a lovely edition of George Orwell’s Down and Out in Paris and London in the mail. It’s part of a series of Orwell classics that Penguin rereleased with beautiful covers designed by David Pearson. 1984 certainly wins the creativity price with a plain cover and blacked-out title. That said, I really love the detail of Down and Out.

Not long ago, I refused to buy Penguin books. The quality was just complete crap. Which is ironic, considering the company’s history. Sir Allen Lane started Penguin precisely because he disliked the poor quality of paperbacks found at his local train station. So, he began publishing well-designed books of literature for the masses. As the company grew into a global publishing powerhouse, profitability became the sole objective and graphic design was considered an unnecessary expense. As soon as head designer Germano Facetti left the company in 1971, quality just went to hell. I’m not entirely sure what happened, but it looks like they are finally returning back to their roots. Over the past few months, Penguin came out with a whole bunch of amazingly designed books. I mean, Down and Out has a letterpress cover!

Now, there’s an important point to this story. Publishers are constantly freaking out because they still don’t know how to deal with digital. Will print die? I don’t think so. People will always love the tactile experience of reading a book. But here’s the thing: Digital will be a commodity while print will be a luxury. Just look at vinyl. LP sales have increased by 17.7% last year and most of the buyers are millennials. You consume everyday music streaming, but when you really really like a record, you will buy the vinyl. Same holds true for books. Once you saw the cover for Murakami’s 1Q84, you just had to hold it in your hands. You just had to own it. People just had to see you with that book! Publishers can survive the future, but they won’t do so by competing with digital. Instead, they must focus on stuff that digital cannot offer. In the end, hiring an amazing graphic designer might just be the key to profitability.

The other day I had to write down my favorite three brands. They...

Wed, 23 Jan 2013 17:24:00 +0100

The other day I had to write down my favorite three brands. They are Muji, Nike and Tablet Hotels. It was not until I looked at the list, that I realized that all three are hardcore lifestyle brands. Which made we wonder – what is it about lifestyle brands? I think it all starts with the fact that I don’t really like stuff. It’s a well-known fact that experiences make you happier than products. A good lifestyle brand turns a mundane product into an experience. An object is no longer just an object, it becomes part of a narrative. Nike is king of this. Each product comes with its own universe and you feel awesome to be a part of it. From this perspective, a lifestyle brand is not just a fun marketing instrument. It actually allows products to make you a little bit happier. And that’s pretty damn amazing.

So what’s this secret startup I’m working for?...

Mon, 21 Jan 2013 21:11:00 +0100

So what’s this secret startup I’m working for? Here’s a teaser. Welcome to vidaa.

A few years ago, I spent a summer with the City of Los Angeles...

Sun, 20 Jan 2013 19:04:00 +0100

A few years ago, I spent a summer with the City of Los Angeles Urban Design Studio, developing a plan to restore the original building facades along Broadway. In the 60s, landlords apparently didn’t like ornate facades and covered many buildings with pristine concrete.

I’m pretty excited to see that things are finally moving along. The United Artists Theater Building is being hipsterfied into an Ace Hotel and Clifton’s Cafeteria recently exposed its glorious wood façade for the first time in 50 years. One of my favorites is 351 Broadway, which is pictured above. Yes, this is the same building. Thing is, the mural painted over the concrete wall was pretty awesome too. David Gray, who is taking care of the project, seems to agree and is reproducing the mural on the south side of the building. Just imaging how amazing our cities could look like if all developers would care this much! I’m curious to see if he will also preserve the tree growing on the roof.

Pictures come from the Mural Conservancy and Skyscraper Pages user Illithid Dude.

DAPP Frankly, we started dapp for selfish reasons. Pablo was...

Sat, 19 Jan 2013 19:32:00 +0100

DAPP

Frankly, we started dapp for selfish reasons. Pablo was looking for an iPad case and I was looking for a new kitchen table. But somehow, we couldn’t find anything we liked. You essentially have three options: Modern and crappy made, well crafted and old-timey, or spend thousands of dollars. We started dapp to make modern, affordable, well crafted products. Modern goods made with traditional methods and materials.

From humble beginnings in Pablo’s living room, we quickly grew into a travel inspired lifestyle brand. We made minimalist furniture from reclaimed Michigan barn wood, mid-century modern iPad cases from hand pressed Japanese chiyogami paper, and released records of rare international grooves.

Dapp was acquired in 2012. Visit the current dapp website here. The Verge wrote a great review of our FlightPad iPad case. Read it here.

Over the last year, I spent most of my days hunched over...

Thu, 17 Jan 2013 21:37:00 +0100

Over the last year, I spent most of my days hunched over computers, which had some unavoidable physical consequences. Since I prefer not being an amoeba, I recently started going on brisk walks through the backwoods. Now, I like nature just fine, but I also tend to get bored quickly. Conveniently, this allows me to catch up on some podcasts. With thousands out there, I had to come up with a listening strategy. Eventually, I decided on two possible avenues: Deep dive and listen to podcasts that further my knowledge of one particular area, or listen to a variety of subjects to discover things I would normally not come across.

I decided on the latter. For one, it’s more entertaining on a daily bases, but it also gives me new perspectives. I believe in the power of patterns. Listen to a range of subjects for a while and universal patterns will emerge across disciplines – and these patters reveal underling systems. Suddenly, you realize that all this stuff is still connected and everything makes sense on a whole new scale.

Granted, I am not listening to ESPN radio. But in case you care, here my nine favorite podcasts from the world of design, innovation and music:

1. Design Matters: Produced by Design Observer, the legendary Debbie Millman interviews leading designers and “change agents.” The interviews have a great personal note and you really get to know the guests and their thoughts.

2. Radiolab: It’s like This American Life for science. Or a non-hipster version of This American Life. About science. Amazing.

3. The Monocle Weekly: Oh Monocle Magazine, you sure are the most pretentious publication out there. But you know what, Tyler Brûlé and crew constantly find stories from around the world that no one else does. The Weekly brings you one hour of interviews with thinkers from business, culture and design.

4. Notebook on Cities and Culture: Each week, Colin Marshall sits down with some interesting character to talk about stuff related to, well, cities and culture. Originally, the show was Los Angeles centric but has gone global recently. Love it.

5. XLR8R Podcast: Hands down, my favorite music podcast. Each week, a quality artist drops a quality mixtape. Usually some crazy free play, things mostly stay within the trifecta of electronic, hip hop, and dusty grooves.

6. Mr. Phipson: Sadly no longer with us, Mr. Phipson provided glorious tropicália, broken salsa and all sorts of tropical funk. Check the archive.

7. On Being: Officially, Krista Tippett talks about religion and ethics. But this is so much more. Each episode is a thoughtful journey to regions where science no longer has clear answers. “Driven By Flavor,” an interview with Dan Barber of Blue Hill Farm, might be the greatest hour of radio ever recorded.

8. The Urbanist: Another podcast by our snob friends at Monocle 24. But seriously, if care about cities, this is a must.

9. 99% Invisible: It’s like Radiolab for design. Or This American Life for… you get the picture. Any show that dedicates an episode to Kowloon Walled City is a winner in my book.

Normally, I try to stay out of politics. But tonight, I did...

Fri, 11 Jan 2013 00:21:00 +0100

Normally, I try to stay out of politics. But tonight, I did something very stupid. I got sucked into a discussion with pro-gun trolls on an undisclosed interwebs board. The whole affair was expectably unreasonable, but one thing really made we wonder: Why are so many Americans happy to engage in a race to the bottom? I took the picture above some time ago in Haiti. I love Haiti. Great food and some of nicest people you will ever meet. But Haiti is also desperately poor, corruption is rampant and violence normal. As a result, you see a lot of guns. In Haiti, you really need guns to be safe. Which brings up the question, what kind of place does America want to be? Do we really want to strive to become like Haiti?

Maybe. But we could also strive to become like Japan or any European country. The murder rate in the UK is 1.2 while the murder rate in the US is 4.8. After mentioning that fact, someone was quick to point out that the UK has more violent crime than the US - which is true. Now, let’s ignore the fact that I would still rather be punched by a football hooligan than shot. But why are so many people so eager to find the single one statistic that is even worse than the US? Why should we use the worst as our baseline? Don’t we all want the best for us and our families and friends? If so, let our new baseline be the best. Let’s find the country with the lowest murder rate. Let’s find the country with the lowest rate of violent crime. Let’s find the country with the best health care system, the best education system, the best infrastructure and learn from them. Let’s get our act together and strive for the best.

Palma de Mallorca, Spain.

Thu, 10 Jan 2013 23:25:00 +0100

Palma de Mallorca, Spain.

Desktop wallpapers are important to me. Since, on average, I...

Tue, 25 Dec 2012 20:21:00 +0100

Desktop wallpapers are important to me. Since, on average, I work 12 hours each day on my computer, having a good backdrop is essential. Not only only for my sanity, but also for inspiration. I could tell a story about each background I use, but I especially love this one from our friends at Ghostly International by Michael Cina. I regularly find myself meditating on the image, all other windows closed. How often does this happen with your current wallpaper? Head over to Ghostly for this and other amazing backgrounds. Merry christmas and happy holidays everyone!

LAB CAFE Lab is a modern coffee house and events space in Ann...

Fri, 14 Dec 2012 18:01:00 +0100

LAB CAFE

Lab is a modern coffee house and events space in Ann Arbor. We curate local food, source direct trade coffee and accelerate electronic music in A2. Delish.com named Lab one of the 15 best coffee shops in the U.S..

Visit lab’s facebook page.

BUSINESS INCUBATOR ATTRACTION PLAN FOR THE CITY OF YPSILANTI As...

Mon, 10 Dec 2012 22:46:00 +0100

BUSINESS INCUBATOR ATTRACTION PLAN FOR THE CITY OF YPSILANTI

As part of its downtown revitalization strategy, Ypsilanti wanted to establish a Biotechnology Business Incubator. Our research concluded that biotech would put Ypsilanti in direct competition with neighboring Ann Arbor. Instead, the city should focus on its growing creative sector. We also suggested incubator locations and financing strategies.

One year after our recommendations, the plan was implemented as the SPARK East Business Incubator.

Download the complete plan here.

Last night over dinner, Psy’s Gangnam Style was once again on...

Mon, 10 Dec 2012 17:32:31 +0100

Last night over dinner, Psy’s Gangnam Style was once again on the radio. I’m currently not in Korea but in the middle of nowhere Germany. Since Gangnam Style is essentially the biggest global hit of all time, this seems hardly surprising. No matter how you feel about the song’s musical merit, let’s think about this for a second. Seriously: The biggest global hit of all time is a Korean song rapped in Korean. That is amazing! Ok, one might argue that we have a simple case of the Macarena. There is certainly some truth to that claim. However, a lot of people speak some degree of Spanish and dream of Mediterranean vacations. By contrast, most folks don’t know anything about Korea and definitely speak no Korean. Just in case you wondered, Gangnam Style is spelled 강남스타일 in Hangul, the Korean script. Still, despite all our differences, the world as whole can embrace this silly little song. I find that very much uplifting. And no, I’m not being ironic.

As of this writing, Gangnam Style was the number one song in over 30 countries, including Germany, Lebanon, Israel, Honduras and China (Baidu 500). It’s well on its way to become the first video ever to be watched by over a billion people. With seemingly endless revolutions, recessions and deadly phone pranks, one might think that 2012 is truly the end. Next time the news gives you the blues, just think about, I mean really reflect on, Gangnam style. It’s gonna be alright.

The picture is completely unrelated. It’s just cool and fits the positive vibe. It was taken inside a huge elevator at LACMA’s Broad Contemporary Art Museum in Los Angeles.