BREAKING IN: Next Up: Dick Powell

Next Up: Dick Powell

Our seymourpowell from Seymourpowell on Vimeo.

Dick Powell is co-founder of internationally renowned design and innovation company Seymourpowell. Dick is the current Chairman of D&AD, and has twice been its President. As Chairman, Dick is a mentor to the team at D&AD and strives to call on government and business leaders to recognise the value of embedding design and creativity into the DNA of British businesses.

Dick has appeared on numerous radio and television programmes alongside business partner Richard Seymour, and has sat on the boards of the Design Council, the Design Business Association and the D&AD Executive. Dick was global design advisor to Samsung Electronics and a member of the International Advisory Panel for Design in Singapore.

Founded in 1984, seymourpowell has produced a host of world first products of the last three decades, including designs for the world’s first cordless kettle and pocket mobile phone. The company’s design innovation work ranges from consumer appliances, electronics and mobile phones, to transportation – including cars, motorcycles, trains and planes. The company has clients as diverse as Unilever, Panasonic, Tefal, LG, Nestlé, Mondelez, Diageo, Ideal Standard, Brother and JCB.

With over 30 years experience, Dick Powell believes passionately that design is not just about being different or more stylish, but about being better – better for people, better for business and better for the world.

Dick and Richard took this idea to television, making 12 programmes for Channel 4 (Equinox, Designs on Your… and Better by Design) that followed the development of new products, from the genesis of new ideas through to making them happen. They brought fresh thinking to kitchen bins, razors, burglar alarms, the economy airline seat and the all-important shopping trolley. Most famously perhaps was the design of a bra for the bigger bust, and an innovative toilet.

Dick is passionate about “Designing Innovation”, the intimate relationship between design and the process of creating innovative new products and services.

Barclaycard: Transforming Contactless Payments

Sketches for Unilever’s ice cream giant Walls. Walls has around 2.2 million branded chest freezer cabinets in 44 countries. In 2010, they asked Seymourpowell to develop a
new cabinet to cut energy consumption by 50%.

Sketches for kolon Life Tech Jacket System.

The final concept showcases kolon’s abilities to embed relevant and effective cutting edge technologies into their next generation of outdoor jackets.

Virgin Galactic VSS Enterprise from Seymourpowell on Vimeo.

Sketches for kt, Korea’s leading telecom provider. Seymourpowell created an identity manual for their ‘olleh’ brand that would work across everything — from connector cables to laptops and satellite dishes to speakers. The challenge was to create guidelines that would hold their own, whatever the component constraints, ergonomic considerations or product category.

Sketches for kt Olleh project. Seymourpowell designed 14 new ‘olleh’ products — including phones, cables, modems and a tablet – to test our identity in the real world, while giving kt some items to take to market right away.