The New Economy - By Joseph Pine

Joseph Pine is regarded as one of the greatest minds in regards to the direction of the new economy. He coined the term "mass customization" based on his best selling books Mass Customization: The New Frontier in Business Competition, and The Experience Economy. I had the privilege of meeting Joe in 2007 at a the Mass Customization and Personalization Conference (MCPC) at MIT. His ability to track the direction our culture is heading with regards to the shift in our economic offerings is inspiring.

The following is a video of Joe speaking at a recent TED conference I believe is quite valuable.

The A-B-C’s of Mass Customization

Link to full article here (via Replicatorinc.com)

A - Aviary is the most advanced online photo editor providing tools that rival desktop apps like Photoshop at a more affordable price. This gives consumers powerful tools to create online before having their creation manufactured.

Also see: ArrowEye, manufacturers of custom greeting, gift, and credit cards.

B- Build-a-Bear workshop has created a half billion dollar business in what was a slow growth industry by offering a customized experience.

Also see: Blurb, print on demand pioneer. Brother, who manufacturers many of the most advanced CNC embroidering machines.

C - CafePress.com is one of the oldest and most successful print on demand companies allowing people to express their unique brand on a variety of products ranging from tshirts to coffee mugs.

Also see: Cricut, is a low cost paper plotter that can cut shapes out of thin sheet materials and the $2000 Craftsman Compucarve, which carves designs into wood based on user supplied CAD data.

The Most Beautiful Periodic Tables in the World

I ran across this and had to find a place for it here. All materials from this planet in one place.



Link to site
Link to custom printed banners (great example of Mass Customization)

Refocus: Design for Humans

This is a very interesting article that highlights why relationships are what really what matter in the end.


link to story from Experience Matters

Unique MCPC business concept - Writing on the wall

I love new business concepts that are structured with the intent for customization and personalization. When created from the ground up, these well designed "toolkits" are the future of business.

Here is a great example of a well executed simple concept making a mark in the world of Mass Customization and Personalization (MCPC).

Link to Wonderful Graffiti

Kick Butt Papervision3D Project in Cribscribble.com

Nice use of providing a palette of design tools and grouping them together in an intuitive way. This is only the beginning of web based 3D design.

Link to site