FORGET

EVOL U T I O N .
EMBRACE
REVOLU-
T I O N –
THE TR AN S F O R -
MATIO N E C O N O -
MY IS NIGH
DATE : WEDNESDAY 9TH MARCH 2011

TIME : 1PM – 5PM

VENUE : ROUNDHOUSE, CHALK FARM ROAD, LONDON, NW1 8EH

PRICE : BOOK BEFORE

TUESDAY,
1 FEBRUARY
2011 FOR A
10% DISCOUNT

TREND BRIEFING
(DISCOUNT
CODE ‘EARLY-
BIRD’) : £450

SPRING 2011
PER SEAT IN-
STEAD OF £495
: THE AN-
ARCONOMY
DECADE
At the spring/summer Trend Briefing in 2010 we named
the decade the Turbulent Teens, predicting how it would be
a period of highs, lows and revolution. Now, we reveal the
decade’s first revolution – the anarconomy – a shift from
– from turbulence passive accepta
to transformation, we examine how nce to affirmative, anarchic collaboration in
anarchic thinking, cre- politics , culture, business, retail and leisure, even in how
ative distraction and nothingness day
s, when non-thinking we generate ideas for these industries. Against this back-
is crucial, have become the new too
ls of innovation. drop, open-source, open-book policies are set to become
the norm in the new punkonomic era.

Instead of withholding information, the new winners are

sharing their information and knowledge first. Instead of
Betapreneurs trying things out, today’s change-makers
are laying down new rules and producing manifestos that
describe and define the new ways in which they want the
world to work. More than anything, however, disruption
has become their new mantra, dissonance their new way
to market. We look at the tools, techniques and ‘unlearning
habits’ you will need to acquire to survive in the Transfor-
mation Economy.

: REVIVALISM
tion,’ says The Future Laboratory co-founder Martin Raymond. ‘For many,
too far. Hence, we are witnessing the rise of Revivalist thinking, a nostal
– ‘Not everybody wants revolu-
the recession has been a stress
gic yearning for all things past
e of furniture and products with
and comforting. Folk themes, folklore, folk fashions and the re-appearanc
ing more prominent.’
a quasi-nostalgic theme and a rose-tinted nostalgic viewpoint are all becom

But underlying this rush towards all things retro, rustic and
Wicker Man-esque is a more worrying interest in move-
ments, tribes and rituals based on nationalism, insularity
and neo-conservative values, as this counter-run against
transformation suggests.

Consider France’s niqab ban, Switzerland’s ban against

building minarets, America’s Tea Party movement, and
Germany and Sweden’s debates about nationhood and mul-
ticulturalism. All, we believe, hint at a new mood among
consumers for fixed values, single-flag beliefs and a kith-
and-kin simplicity that will give rise to brands, products and
services steeped in nostalgia and old-century aesthetics.

‘Nostalgia is a powerful trend and driver – both positive

and negative,’ says Raymond. ‘It is positive when it grounds
people in times of change and transformation, but negative
when it becomes the fuel for jingoism, monocultural beliefs
and reactionary thinking. Either way, it cannot be ignored.
Instead, we must understand it, manage it and, when
necessary, declare our stance on it. Retro maybe a fashion
statement, but it is also a stance that can damage think-
ing, stifle innovation and calcify creativity.’ We identify the
issues, obstacles and nascent opportunities for businesses
keen to ride the changes without falling foul of them.
: UBIQUI-
TOUS GAM-
ING CULTURE
– how and why cognitive gaming is set to transform how we shop,
think, learn and play as members of Generation D learn to love and nsformed from the
live through gaming. rst an ding of business is now being tra
Our ba sic un de ctions, and in the 90s,
siness was about transa
inside out. In the 80s bu ch about conversations.
hties, it became very mu
relationships. In the noug y, it is increasingly
ns decade gets under wa
Now, as the Turbulent Tee , as a new generation of
y, particularly the latter
about experience and pla n to ubiquitous online ga
ming to learn
-sa vvy con sum ers tur
social media ture.
of engaging with the cul
and develop new ways
ers and net-savvy
de mi cs, de signers, creatives, plann
And alr ea dy, aca d environments to mar-
ga mi ng and game metaphors an
bra nd s are usi ng and enhance learning in
gy, develop work skills
ket products, teach strate and organisations.
ing our stores, schools
ways that are transform
the brain scans
the pla yer s, the ga mes, the strategies and
We consid er the brain in ways
mi ng , if use d effectively, can boost
that sho w ho w ga , or engaged in highly
po ssi ble wh en daydreaming, sleeping
norm ally on ly er words, when in-
bu t wh oll y cre ati ve, tasks. The state, in oth
abstr act , ms are solved.
vat ion ha pp en s, ide as are generated and proble
no

: INTUITIVE
FUTURES – too many choices,
so little time to consider them. Enter choice architects, designers and
fluency planners using cognitive trickery to transform everything from the
products we use to the journeys and decisions we make.
For ages we have had to stop, look, listen and learn how to make fire,
work
the land, drive or use a mobile phone. But now, at the dawn of the Trans-
formation Age, a paradigm shift is under way. In the future, machines
will
work around us. Thanks to the emotion recognition of Affective Comput
ing,
3D gesture recognition, and the BCI (brain computer interface), machin
es
and brands will understand, predict and respond to our emotions. Instead
of user interfaces, think intuitive interfaces. Instead of great service, think
intuitive service. Instead of reactive responses to our wishes, think proactiv
e
acknowledgement of our need states.

These technological shifts in how we engage with the world are in turn
informed and underpinned by a whole new field of research called cogni-
tive fluency. Simply put, cognitive fluency is a measure of how easy it
is to
think about something or understand it – visually, functionally, intellec
tually
– without it confusing you or requiring you to open a manual or call for
help.
We examine how intuitive design is set to change the world, and how
design
itself is changing as it becomes cognitive, fluid and collaborative.