Check out this awesome testimonial we got from our friend Jonathan Potter this week….”I bought my Zero medium bag at Interbike last year, the one with the sporty world champion stripes. And after about a year of use, my Rickshaw is still going strong, and now that the sun has kissed the evenings of the Northwest I’m carrying even more junk than ever. Thanks for making a totally awesome bag, that is tough, roomie, and well thought out. I might even put in an order for the large bag so I can carry even more groceries on my back… Thanks for a rad bag!”

Well, thanks for the comment Jonathan and come visit when you’re back in the Bay Area.

the Zero grocery bag

Kickstand Magazine Launches!

Rickshaw is excited to be in the inaugural issue of Kickstand Magazine — a brand new publication dedicated to celebrating the cruiser bicycle culture that seems to be growing in cities and communities all around the world. Based in Denver, Kickstand organizes the Denver Cruiser Ride. These ‘cruisers’ like to have fun, ride bicycles, listen to music, socialize and celebrate the human-powered revolution. Did you know that our name (Rickshaw) comes from three Japanese characters (”jin-riki-sha”), which literally translates to “human-powered-vehicle”? We think we have a few things in common with the Kickstand cruisers. Maybe one day there will be an organized SF Cruiser Ride…check out the new magazine at http://www.kickstandmag.com

Soy fanatico de los cuadernos Moleskine!

“I’m crazy for Moleskine journals!”, writes Luis Cosio from Mexico. We just delivered a Folio to our first customer in Mexico, and he’s delighted, not only with the Folio, but our customer service (Kati is a star!), the stickers we included with the Folio, and a handwritten note from yours truly. In return, we received a lovely email and our first blog posting in Spanish. I can’t tell you what a gift it is to receive feedback like this. I can remember just enough Spanish from high school to understand Luis’ blog posting, and the photos fill in the blanks. This is why I love what I do!

Here’s the message and a link to the blog post…

From: Luis Cosio
To: kati@rickshawbags.com
Subject: Thxs for your excellent job!!

Kati, today I receive my Mole folio, and it made all my expectatives!!!
You made a great job, and I want to tell to everybody the great company who is Rickshaw, the cusmer service es really great, and sending the folio with goodies like stickers is great.
But a handmade note from your CEO is really amazing!!!! Please forward this mail to Mark.
I’m glad to be the first customer in Mexico, and you can count with my recomendations to all my contacts.
I write a post on my blog, it is in spanish, but I want to share it with yours. http://luiscosio.wordpress.com/2009/04/25/una-excelente-experiencia-en-servicio-a-clientes/
Best Regards
Luis

Muchas Gracias Luis! You have exceeded our expectatives!!!

-Mark

In case you missed it…

We sent an email blast today announcing our Folio launch. If you didn’t receive it, and would like to be on our email list (which we use very judiciously), you can sign-up here.

Hello Moleskine Nation! The Rickshaw Folio is now available!

My pet project is finally a reality — our Folio for Moleskine journals is now live on our web site. First, kudos to Macy here at Rickshaw for completing the tedious task of loading all of the product data and photos so you can actually see what we have to offer. This product is one that I’m particularly proud of, because I’m the resident journaling geek here at Rickshaw. I happen to love the Moleskine® brand, as much for its marketing as its quality products. If I can inspire the same kind of respect and affection in my own brand, I’ll be one happy guy!

Several months ago I made a small number of pre-production samples available to Moleskine enthusiasts via two web sites, Scription and Moleskinerie. Both were kind enough to feature my prototype development videos, which generated valuable user feedback. I wanted to make sure I had a product that met the needs of fellow journaling enthusiasts — not just my own. I personally interacted with the first customers, helping them select fabrics and binding colors to suit their personal style, and posting photos of their creations on our Flickr gallery. It was a great experience, and I’m grateful to those who participated — thank you. Also, thanks to those who inquired after the initial samples were spoken for — I appreciate your patience.

Style Your Own

On our web site you’ll find a collection of some of our favorite fabric and color combos. Mind you, they’re not pre-made – just some of our favorites to help you choose. We build each and every custom Folio to your special order — right here in our San Francisco factory (which you are welcome to visit any weekday, 9-5). Don’t see exactly what you want? Love the fabric but want a different binding color? Saw something in our Flickr gallery that’s not in the on-line collection? No problem. You’re welcome to request your own special fabrication – at no extra charge — simply note your special request in the Notes box during check-out from our Shopping Cart — we’ll take care of the rest. You can even bring your own fabric to the factory for a super-custom build. We want you to choose just the right combination to complement your own personal style and spark your creativity to a whole new level.

Why this particular notebook?

I focused on the “legendary” Moleskine® brand because it’s my favorite, and it’s the leading brand for “creative-types” worldwide. The brand has inspired an international tribe of enthusiasts, and a number of Internet fan-sites. Yes, they’re a little pricey, but I appreciate the details: high-quality paper, stitch-binding, rounded corners, rear pocket, sticker-friendly cover – and some wonderful (and likely apocryphal) copywriting about the history of moleskine notebooks and famous people who used them. They’re also widely distributed, so you can find a refill for your Folio just about anywhere. I like to say “Moleskine is the MacBook of the journal world” – and I’ve been using Moleskine® brand journals for years himself.

Why this size?

I focused on the Large size hardbound notebook because it seemed best-suited to the functionality and portability of the Folio itself. This size is large enough for “serious” writing and drawing, but small enough to fit in our everyday bags and accompany us in our favorite (and often cramped) creative environments — from airplanes to cafes. I fill a Large Sketchbook every two months or so — which gives you a sense of the cost of my Moleskine addiction. Recession be damned! I’m not giving up my Moleskine notebooks or my Blue Bottle coffee.

Future Development Plans

Smaller? I’ve been asked about Folios for the pocket-sized notebooks — and we’re making a prototype — but the pocket notebook is designed for your pocket, and the Folio will add bulk that defeats “pocketability”. We’ll see.

Fatter? The Daily Calendar (not the Weekly Calendar) is thicker than the standard journal and weekly planner. I’ll have a fatter Folio for the 2010 Weekly Calendar before the Holiday season for those of you who still manage your calendar the old fashioned way. God bless you.

Bigger? Moleskine makes larger journals, and recently introduced their A4 and A3 size notebooks. Frankly, I’m not currently planning Folios sized for the Extra Large, A4 or A3 notebooks. I might be persuaded, but I’m inclined to wait and see how popular they really are, how they’re used, and whether they will really benefit from the functionality of our Folios.

Other brands of journals? The Rickshaw Folio is designed specifically to fit with world’s most popular brand of hardbound journal. To determine if your other brand of journal will fit, the book must measure 5-1/8” wide, 8-1/4” tall, and 5/8” thick. I was at one time an avid user of the Cachet Classic Hardbound Journal (5.25″ x 8.25″), and that would be next on my list. But, beware, it won’t fit in this Folio.

Comments & Suggestions

As always, we welcome comments, suggestions and constructive criticism. No detail is too small. Sometimes our best features come from an enthusiast with an idea we never thought of.

That’s all for now.

Cheers!

-Mark (mark@rickshawbags.com)

 

Six-Word Memoir

SMITH magazine, an online journal, has published thousands of six-word memoirs. Apparently they adapted the idea from a possibly mythical challenge to Ernest Hemingway — write a story in just six words. I like writing haiku, so this sounded like a fun little exercise. Here’s my six-word memoir:

Born to technology. Love making bags!

I think you’re just supposed to leave it at that. Cheers! -Mark

Design is the Solution!

I just finished reading a new book called “Design is the Problem” by Nathan Shedroff, and I recommend it as a good introductory survey of sustainability for designers. Not yet available on Amazon, you can order a copy directly from the publisher, Rosenfeld Media, for $36. Nathan is currently pioneering a new MBA in Design Strategy program at California College of the Arts in San Francisco. He’s well-versed in this subject, and the book is solid and thorough.

Just a couple of comments… First, I don’t like the title, and rumor has it the title was the publisher’s idea, not Nathan’s. In my opinion, negative marketing is just bad branding. “Hey all you designers, you’ve got a problem!” Personally, not my favored call to action. Second, the book itself doesn’t walk the talk. At the most basic level, there’s no mention of recycled content in the paper it’s printed on. How about a call to read it and pass it along to someone else — thereby extending it’s utility and useful life? There are no doubt a variety of clever ways the book itself could have embodied and reinforced its message. Third, there’s a background narrative criticizing the fashion industry for creating desire for unnecessary and even harmful goods — a riff that becomes a little overworked by the end of the book. Finally, the cover art is bland. I have purchased more than one book under the influence of a snappy title and provacative cover art. Surely a book for designers could benefit from some compelling graphic design. So, in my opinion, the book is weak in form and footprint, but rates high in function — and is a good addition to the introductory syllabus for new design students, and an excellent overview for working professionals.

I believe we’re on the verge of an “age of enlightenment” for the design profession. As I suggest in my essay, “Form, Function, Footprint“, design is a three-legged stool, and we’ve been precariously perched on just two legs for far too long. This is not the fault of the design profession or its professionals (”forgive them for they know not what they do”) — it’s simply the result of the traditional design education curriculum. Designers are the stewards of our natural resources, and this has never been a more important responsibility than it is now. It’s high time designers were properly trained to lead the charge, and this begins with a solid education in the principles of sustainability. Design is not the problem — design is the solution — and Nathan’s book is a good starting place.

Greetings from San Francisco!

Hi everyone. It’s been awhile since my bike ride to TED and the related flurry of blog updates, Facebook messages, Flickr photos, video postcards and tweets I posted along the way. All this social networking stuff is time consuming and exhausting! After TED, we just had to get back to work here at Rickshaw, making bags, communicating with customers, tending to the minutiae of our day-to-day business and preparing for the official production launch of our Backpack and Moleskine Folio. We figured you didn’t need us tweeting every detail if it delayed the actual goal. Well, we’ve made progress. The Backpack is now live on our website, and the Folio will go live next Tuesday, April 21. We also did some work to better integrate blog postings, photos and videos with our web site, so our Rickshawbags homepage has been updated with direct links to our WordPress, Flickr and Vimeo assets. In the meantime, I’ve been doing a lot of writing in my Moleskine journal, and preparing a few new subjects for the blog. Special thanks to our growing list of customers who are helping spread the word about our products and their experiences interacting with us. We’ve even started receiving some gifts from our most ardent supporters. I’ll share some of them with you tomorrow, but for now, let me just say we’re still working on the 10-pound Toblerone chocolate bar we received several weeks ago from our first Folio customer in Switzerland – thanks Yvette! As always, we welcome visitors to our factory and we’re delighted to discuss opportunities to personalize a bag just for you – in person or via email. Whether you’re a regular visitor or a fresh new face, please explore our growing gallery of product photos. That’s all for now. -Mark

Rickshaw Bagworks joins Slumdog Millionaire at the Oscars!

Sunday, February 22, 2009

 

The Grafton on Sunset

I’m writing from the Grafton Hotel on Sunset Blvd in West Hollywood, just about to walk three blocks to the Slumdog Millionaire Oscar Party (not the awards ceremony, mind you, but the pre, viewing and after party) at the ONE Sunset restaurant — hosted by Hewlett Packard.

Thanks to Ken Feldman of Stylit.tv, and the good folks at Phenomenon.com, we’re honored to donate our laptop computer bags to compliment 40 HP Mini 1000 Vivienne Tam Edition netbook PCs (http://tinyurl.com/67ooec) for the Slumdog movie stars and execs. We used 5 colors from our TED2009 Designtex”Kola” bottles-to-bags collection to spice-up the presentation (pictures to follow). This could be the party of all parties tonight! I’ll let you know how it goes… -Mark

Satellite uplinks at the Vanity Fair party at the Sunset Tower

Let’s talk “footprint”

Thanks to all of you who have read my Form, Function, Footprint essay. I received one comment from a friend and esteemed academic that made it clear I need to explain my definition of “footprint”. First, here’s the comment:

Mark, I “get” the value of mnemonics like “3 Fs” but “footprint” doesn’t really do it for me. The word has such a strong connection with waste and only environmental impact and only at the product level, usually. I would propose “Style, Substance, and Sustainability” since it makes more room for social and financial impacts as well as environmental impacts. We won’t get far enough (and not far at all) if we only consider the ecological impacts of sustainability.

I agree with the substance of the comment, and I’d like to share my response…

Rather than inventing a new semantic for designers, it’s my goal to leverage the established language of product design as the foundation for inspiring an evolution of thought and practice. The “form/function” mnemonic has stood the test of time, and “footprint” is a convenient and memorable progression. Rather than reframing the discussion around a new set of “s-words”, I prefer to leverage the established “f-words”. In the spirit of efficient branding, I’d rather teach the audience one new word, rather than three.

I certainly intend “footprint” to represent ecology and sustainability in their holistic definitions and sensibilities.

“Ecology” is defined as the branch of biology dealing with the relations and interactions between organisms and their environment, including other organisms. By definition, ecology deals with more than the natural “environment”, and includes the immediate “society” of like organisms and the extended ecosystem of dissimilar species.

Likewise, “sustainability” involves much more than the simplistic environmental concept of “green”. Sustainability includes economic viability, environmental impact and social responsibility.

These terms are so readily “dumbed down” by mass marketing. This is why I’m calling for fundamental changes at the educational level. There is so much to learn about sustainability and ecology — i.e., footprint. Students must be taught, and researchers must continue to explore, the complex systems, relationships and interactions embodied by these concepts.

Designers must consider not just what things are made of, but how, where, why and by whom. This is the basis of the emerging field of “life cycle analysis”. Design education must adopt the “systems” view, and impress upon new designers that the footprint of a product is the sum of all these considerations. This is a rich, complex and essential field of study which has received little, if any, rigorous consideration in the traditional design curriculum. I believe there is no better time than the present to retool the educational curriculum for the Age of Sustainability.