Carl Liu’s blog- coming soon…

I would love to introduce you my first very own product from Newtive Creations.

It has been a long journey since I naively dreamed about having my own brand and production products.
I often work till dawn pursuing my little ego after my regular day job. In recent years, I have managed to come out with quite a few production-ready products. Aside from my strong passion in design, all the support and guidance from you are the most important forces to push me go further and beyond.

Please feel free to pass around my blog to your friends who might be interested in getting to know Newtive products.
I will update you the soon coming products in the near future. Thank you very much for your guidance and support.

Newtive Creations

By closely observing people’s everyday behavior at home and workplace, we create new things and improve existing products to make the living and working environment enjoyable.

Our products are supremely functional, ingenious and simple to use. Our goal is to make your daily life easy and enjoyable while doing the house chores through Newtive creations. Our dedication to this challenge leads us to re-think the everyday living and working environment and continuously create genuinely solid innovations to improve quality living for everyone.

NEWTIVE 品牌简介
追求精致生活的人们，都有一个共同的特点：关注细节、追求完美，对于这种理念的尊重与理解，NEWTIVE的宗旨是让您的生活轻松和愉快，我们的产品极具功能性、独创性和简单易用。我们致力于这一挑战，促使我们重新思考日常的生活和工作环境，关注您对家居空间和办公环境的审美个性和品位，藉由NEWTIVE的优质产品提高个人的精致生活和独一无二的体验之旅。

牆- 作品3

牆上帶著紅地毯的鏡子像是通往星光大道上的一道門，走在紅毯上看著鏡子裏如明星般亮眼的自己，一股虛榮和自戀交錯而成的自信油然而生。鏡子上的門把實際上是個衣物配件掛鉤，它代表著通往另一個世界的開關。

在現實的生活裏，我們時刻都扮演不同的角色。在特殊設計的紅地毯鏡子前騷首弄姿，享受喀嚓的快門聲和鎂光燈的閃爍。藉著更換衣服來調整心情，甚至轉換角色以備百分之兩百的自信面對牆後門外的另一個世界。

Wall- project 3

The Red Carpet has known for one of the biggest event in Hollywood. Image you have your own Red Carpet in your ordinary home, what would that be? While you are enjoying the flash lights and camera shutters, the setting help to transform your physical and psychological condition for a better you.

牆- 作品2

我們都見過在電影中那些價值連城的大鑽石都是被鎖在一副畫背後安全厚重的保險箱中。

似乎牆上的畫除了本身的價值外，其背後都應該藏著更有價值的東西。畫框中的畫本來就是掛在牆上提供欣賞引人注意的陳設，而保險箱則是希望盡可能隱蔽安裝在最不容易被發現的地方。一則顯，一則隱，即又顯又隱，奈人尋味。

“Safe” Night Light是透過畫框的聚焦力來凸顯人們光鮮亮麗的背後往往隱藏著不為人知的秘密。反諷的是當環境愈暗的時候，反而愈是曝露了保險箱的位置。

Wall- project 2

In western movies, treasure or diamonds are always kept in a safety box inside a wall. A painting on a wall is supposed to be displayed for appreciation, while a safety box is not. Except the value of that painting, things behind it seem more important and valuable. Safe Night Light is a metaphor of secrets do reveal when people try to hide them with lies. The darker a place is , the more obvious a safety box becomes.

牆- 作品1

記得你我童年時期，在‘ 咁嘛店’花五角錢就玩一次‘搓搓樂’，因為事前不知獎品為何，雖然只是小小獎，但是每次都是個有趣且令人上癮的驚喜。

‘樂透’將搓搓樂的概念帶進月歷的設計上，在每天的日期上放著給予今天的禮物。借由每天和‘樂透’玩一次搓搓樂，在一日復一日的規律生活中，為平凡無奇的生活添加了樂趣。

此外，它在被拆封前為一盒狀，形似書本，可置于書架上。將數盒‘未來’‘樂透’擺放于一起，形成一股對來日的美好期待。

Wall- project 1

  > inspiration

6月26號特地飛回臺北為了參加今年的臺灣設計師週活動。這是我第一次在臺北參加設計相關的主題展，感覺非常興奮。尤其是看到這么許多有原創想法的作品和認識更多執著熱忱的設計人，實在是與有榮焉能成為臺灣設計師週共襄盛舉的一員。

今年的聯展是由十個主題串構而成，分別為食玩，萬年設計，牆，前刀系氏2，文房五十，開關之間，陽臺計劃，美麗轉世，天天天籃和享受不完美生活。食玩是以東方飲食文化和餐具用品為設計主軸，中國人特有的筷子更是理所當然的設計主角。萬年設計和今年的MUJI設計賽 Found Muji 有異曲同工的類似主題，從長久日常生活中最不起眼的小用品中重新利用設計注入新的生命能量。剪紙的目的在于延續剪紙文化的生命，探究如何傳統工藝在現代文化下不但不受沖擊反而能再度引領風潮。文房五十顧名思義是和擁有文房四寶的書房有直接的關係。自明清以來，家中有書房是知識份子有文化素養或附庸風雅的象徵，讀書人雅致的品位往往反映在書房陳設的家具和用品上。五十位設計師各顯神通巧妙地將古雅的文人意境移轉到重機能的現代學習和辦公環境中。開關之間以PEGA Design 為設計班底的設計師合力完成的作品，看得出來他們花了不少時間和資源找尋企業未來的方向和商業定位。以人性為主，科技為輔，將冰冷的科技融入日常生活的細節中找到最好的平衡。倒是有些PHILIPS Design 的味道。美麗轉世是針對工業廢料和生活廢棄物再加利用，巧妙的設計讓原本要丟掉的廢物搖身一變成為炙手可熱的高價商品。

牆是我這次參加的展覽，這個主題看似容易，但其實還是有一定的難度，尤其是要在簡單設計的背後賦予深層的思考而產生共鳴，更是考驗了設計師的生活體驗和設計功力。若單從牆的本質及造就牆的目的來切入，似乎困難度高些，但是若著重在因牆所演生出的物件來切入主題就相對容易些。牆一旦被搭建起來就自然形成了內和外的兩個空間，同時探討牆內和牆外因為隔離所產生的互動和因果關係是一個有趣的切入點。

更多介紹請參考http://www.designersweek.tw

On June 26th, I flew back to Taipei for the 2008 Taiwan Designers’ Week- Design and Beyond exhibition. I was so excited for it because this was my first show ever held in my home town. I was very honor to be one of the exhibitors especially getting to know many passionate local designers.

The holistic exhibition was composed by ten different topics, they were Play With the Eating Culture, NoName Design, Wall, The Story of Paper-Cutting, 50 Pleasures in the Study, Between On & Off, City Yeast 2008 - Balcony Project, Reincarnation, Basket and Having A Perfect Life Is Easy.

Over 200 local designers had generated close to 300 design concepts. I was blown away by the power of super intensive energy during the shows. There were quite a few topics touch the Green Design aspect. I thought this was excellent opportunity to demonstrate what design could do to reduce and reuse the rubbish into something useful.This is the second year for the Taiwan Designers’ Week. I sincerely hope the snow ball keeps rolling. I expect another bigger success the next year, and you are welcome to check it out.

Please check the website for more detail information. http://www.designersweek.tw

 如何激发新鲜的设计创意是我最常被年轻设计师和学生问及的问题。在我提出的十几种方法中，浏灠大量的图片是其中一个最基本而且需要持之以恒的习惯。其实绝大多数的设计师都有一个大容量的硬盘存放着数以千计的图片，不过为了方便资料查找，图片被分门别类放在相应的资料夹中。可惜的是这巨大的图库被设计师错误使用，一旦遇到新的设计委托，只侷限在相应的资料夹里寻找灵感。

为了打破这种人脑自然逻辑的归类和排它的本能， 我提出非规律的快速浏灠方式来达到视觉刺激的效果。在此我愿意分享自己的一些经验。首先，图片参考不应该在构思设计概念时发生，而应该是来自平时的印象累积。如果在构思设计概念阶段同时翻阅图片，设计往往会被眼睛所看到的形象所牵引。平时积累的快速浏灠能造成记忆上对影像模糊印象，这不规律的模糊印象正是你需要开启你跳躍性思维的基本元素。它们会在你构思一个想法时自然逢机浮现，碰撞出意想不到的设计灵感。

在我为大家提供的图片里，并不只是设计相关的，而可能是包罗万象的。有的针对形体，有的着重颜色搭配，甚至构图，比例，花纹，气氛，新潮的，古典的，功能性的，材料的，新知的，美的，丑的，。。。或许什么都不是，而只是一种感觉。

你当然可以在电脑上关看这些图片，但最有效果的方法是将这些图片存在随身带的手机或MP4里，有时间就拿出来随意浏灠。持续的时间久了，你一定会感到成效。

大伙儿不妨试试吧！

These four books are written by Tom Peters who is one of the most influential business thinker of our age.

Tom is also the founder of Tom Peters Company, a global training and consulting organization that  advises major clients, including Rolls Royce, Starbucks, Bank of America, Continental Airlines, Virgin Direct and Intel on organizational transformations in readiness for future changes.

The four books are Leadership, Trends, Talent and Design. After reading the books, I have found tremendous inspiration on many levels of thinking not only from business point of view but rather from design point of view. That’s why I am so eager to recommend you as a designer to read these books. The Writings are easy to understand with many interesting stories to demonstrate the points; the layout makes the books easy to read and it is beautifully done graphically. My favor part is the Contrasts before each chapter. They show the comparisons of things are done at before and now. 

Leadership is about inspiring people instead of controlling people.

Trends is about what’s happening in this new era- Woman rules.

Talent is just about everything if you try to be successful.

Design is about innovative thinking. 

I hope you enjoy the readings.