An Idealog year
It’s been a busy and fun year here at Idealog, what with our web redesign and taking out the titles of business magazine and website of the year at the MPA awards (plus our clean sweep of the MPA supreme design awards). And what better time to look back on the highlights than in the last edition of the Weekly for 2009? Here’s a roundup of some of our favourite moments:
January/February
We talked to the people who made bottled water sexy, and discovered how a series of happy mistakes led four old friends to launch premium brand Antipodes. It just goes to show that sometimes ignorance really is bliss.
We also got up close and personal with Ze Frank, the performance artist whose career took off after his birthday invitation featuring videos of dance moves with titles such as ‘Stir the Pot of Love’ and ‘Ride the Pony’ went viral.
March/April
Fact: 45 percent of New Zealand houses are mouldy, and nearly two-thirds were built before insulation became a legal requirement. In the wake of the leaky home syndrome, Andy Kenworthy asked what it would take to jump-start a green housing revolution.
How can you tell if a so-called ‘genuine’ souvenir is the real deal, and not simply mass produced overseas? Amanda Cropp investigated the authenticity of the industry and asked whether there’s still a place for items at the lower end of the spectrum.
May/June
In this issue, we explained the ins and outs of cloud computing and how entrepreneurs can flourish while letting someone else take care of the infrastructure—all at little cost.
Then trendspotter Jamie Cullinane analysed the rise of the so called smartocracy; intelligence reaps rewards after all, and IQ trends indicate our brainpower is steadily increasing on the whole. Tell your parents.
July/August
In an age where peer recommendations carry more weight than anything else, businesses are learning a hard lesson. Slowly but surely, traditional one-way messaging is giving way to a fully democratised and search-optimised conversation. James Hurman spelled out the shift in the balance of power.
You’ve seen his column in Idealog, but there’s much more to business consultant Lance Wiggs—his penchant for motorcycling, for example. Matt Cooney got a glimpse into the world of Wiggs and found out just what lured him back to Godzone.
Banks called it a wasteland, but a group of growers saw the potential in Gimblett Gravels. Anya Kussler explained why homegrown Hawke’s Bay wines are stunning critics by beating Bordeaux at its own game.
Finally, we had a chat to Weta Digital’s visual effects supervisor Matt Aitken at design conference Semi-Permanent about the intersection of art and technology and why New Zealand remains attractive to overseas talent.
September/October
It claims to be the first Kiwi company to harness online marketing back in the 1990s and subsequently became our country’s biggest software exporter. Orion Health’s dedicated programs have helped streamline everything from medical records to e-prescriptions and, as Andy Kenworthy learned, their work isn’t finished yet.
As media mogul Rupert Murdoch announced his plan to begin charging for news, Matt Cooney pondered our contradictory attitude towards paying for content and whether publishers—or any business more than a few years old—can make a profit in the online world.
November/December
Artist Dick Frizzell likes to dabble in a number of things – painting, writing, even wine (his Hawkes Bay Merlot won gold at the New Zealand International Wine show this year). He talked to David MacGregor about his eclectic style and blending the creative with the commercial.
Last but not least, Florence Noble got a rare insight into the man behind the Jaquie Brown Diaries, Gerard Johnstone. And as she found out, juggling the roles of writer, director and editor is a balancing act that takes time to perfect.
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