posted 12-29-2003 09:21 PM              

Curious has brought up a topic few designers talk or care about and it's an article anyone doing creative work in industry should not only read, but memorize. Your ideas, bright as they may be, are worth nada if they have no effect on larger segments of the general population or don't bring your employer cold hard cash. It shows innovation all by itself is useless if not properly implemented in a larger business results-oriented strategy. No one out there cares about your little renderings except yourself.

posted 01-05-2004 11:55 AM              

name the guy who invented the internal combustion engine and name how much mnoney he made off of it......

posted 01-05-2004 12:11 PM              

while it makes a point and teaches a lesson in regards to innovation as a business model, it does so from the interior or corporate side of the model, not the external or customer side of the model.

as expressed here form the sidebar note:

Not All Innovation Is Equal
1.Technical innovation will earn you lots of adoring fans (think Apple). Business-model innovation will earn you lots of money (think Dell).
2. Innovate for Cash, Not Cachet
If your cool new thing doesn't generate enough money to cover costs and make a profit, it isn't innovation. It's art.
3. Don't Hoard Your Goodies
Getting to market on time and at the right price is vital. If that means licensing your idea to an outside manufacturer or marketer, do it.
4. Innovation Doesn't Generate Growth. Management Does
If you covet awards for creativity, go to Hollywood. Managers get rewarded for results, which come from customers.
5. Attention Deficit Has No Place Here
Every innovation worth doing deserves your commitment. Don't leap from one new thing to another. If your creation doesn't appear important to you, it won't be important to anyone else.

its audience is not a designer or a customer but the management.

so be warned that it should be discussed if you are focused on innovation as a business model. but as one of the commenters posted:

"The unspoken assumption in this article is that making loads of money is the ultimate goal of a business venture. Apple is a sustainable, profitable company with loyal customers. Why compare Apple`s bottom line with Microsoft`s? Microsoft has hordes of customers who are lukewarm about Microsoft products. Apple has far fewer customers, but they fiercely love Apple products. To the engineers at Apple, this is far more rewarding than the bottom line. "

posted 01-05-2004 03:28 PM              

Exploited people manufacturing our next technocrap is always a good recipe to make more money.

Cheaper is better.
Now cheaper is good design?
Cheaper makes for good margins.

Innovation has the burden of responsibility to all not just to investors.

Unfortunately consumers always go for the deal.