Design Matters

The Reserve Edition is now available for puchase by exclusive invitation to those customers demanding the ultimate user experience. The entire offering is described at great length on the microsite. There will be a gallery posted on the microsite soon, but I thought I would share here now. The images show both the exterior and the interior. The interior is what the demanding ThinkPad users have come to love: TrackPoint, best of breed keyboard, and the return of the ultimate in a rubberized finish palmrest. Although the gallery preview is focused on hardware and premium leather binding, the included executive class support package is simply amazing.

ThinkPad Reserve Edition Gallery Preview

David Hill

Editor’s Note: This is a post by Lenovo’s Executive Director of the Lenovo Innovation Design Center in Beijing, China – Yao Ying Jia. You can read his other post about the Olympic Torch design here.

Looking back at the torch design days for the past few weeks, I’ve been thinking hard about the design elements that went into this project. Among many thoughts coming into my mind, CLOUD is the most important element.

Abundant Cultural Elements

In the design of the 2008 Olympic torch, cultural elements play a very important role in this innovative project. The “cloud of promise” design is far more culture-oriented than most other Lenovo designs.

This torch design integrates three Chinese cultural elements: scroll, cloud pattern and lacquer red. Today, I will discuss the cloud pattern.

In the following pictures, on the silver aluminum surface of the upper part of the torch, you will see the embedded red cloud pattern with strong ties to Chinese cultural style.

We hoped this cloud design would integrate Chinese culture, the Olympic spirit, and the future hopes and dreams of people around the world, dreams which are embodied by the Games and their celebration of excellence and achievement.

Like any other project, we started with a brain-storming discussion. Designers were very active and proposed many good suggestions, including lots of Chinese cultural elements – among those dragon, lantern and cloud pattern were the most representative ones. But, which one could perfectly embody the Chinese culture, Olympics spirit and the hopes and dreams of the people?

Cloud Pattern

After much internal discussion, we all finally agreed to choose the cloud pattern. In traditional Chinese culture, the image of Dragon and Phoenix indicates auspicious things and fine blessings. A necessary element in depicting their images is the cloud, which harmonies and enhances the atmosphere through which they fly.

Clouds were created among the earth and heaven. In Chinese aesthetics, cloud reflects nature and the human spirit. Cloud is also the most important element in Chinese traditional paintings. Cloud can merge, scatter, generate or disappear, always in endless cycles and constantly changing form. In Chinese culture, cloud is really quite magical. It generates a new creature by merging together. In the Olympics, with people coming from different nationalities and races to meet together, to share together and create a new future together, we felt cloud is the very element which conforms perfectly to the Olympic spirit.

In Chinese history the dragon is the symbol of imperial authority, while the cloud is the symbol for the public will, symbolizing the spirit of sharing and equality. Unconsciously, the cloud pattern has deeply penetrated into every corner of our life; it exists everywhere and so ubiquitously that we are sometimes insensitive to its omnipresence. There are also a lot of cloud patterns in traditional Chinese architectures, sculptures, vessels and paintings.

Cloud symbols in the past

In modern life, cloud can be seen everywhere.

Redesigning the cloud pattern

Focusing on the humanistic spirit of the harmony between human beings and nature, Lenovo’s designers studied the cloud patterns found on a lot of original vessels – “bubble pattern”, “vine pattern” and “cloud pattern” all have long histories and auspicious meanings.

The preliminary pattern is a screw-style pattern – very simple, but too geometric. It can’t deliver the original ideas and expound the understanding about cloud.

From the universal archetype of clouds, we wanted to refine a brand-new cloud image with rich meaning: one that has a sense of fashion style, three dimensions and a flowing effect. We also attempted to design a decorative cloud image with a more classic style. Ultimately we were unsatisfied with these prototypes, but we kept designing until st last, we designed the cloud pattern we wanted.

The cloud pattern is not only the symbol abstracted from thousands of years Chinese culture, it endows the torch with more culture-oriented features and gives the torch the feeling of light and intelligence.

Through this special torch design experience, our design team has had the opportunity to explore these important icons of Chinese culture and transform them into simple but meaningful modern images.

We also had the chance to improve our capabilities in balancing between tradition and fashion, eastern and and western cultures, and how to use fewer elements to express more emotional values.

This is the real charm of innovation.

Yao Ying Jia