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Friday Five with Scott Wilson

Scott Wilson, founder of Chicago-based design studio MINIMAL, is an accomplished designer and former Global Creative Director at Nike. Over his eighteen year career Wilson has lead design organizations such as IDEO, Thomson Consumer Electronics, Fortune Brands, and Motorola. Most recently, Wilson and MINIMAL have garnered much acclaim for their TikTok + LunaTik iPod Nano Watch Kits, which shattered records to become the highest funded project in the history of Kickstarter.com, a crowd-funding platform for creative projects. Other recent design collaborations include Microsoft’s Xbox 360 + Kinect Sensor, Dell’s Venue Pro Smartphone and the SW1 Conference/Lounge Collection for Coalesse, which we checked out at NeoCon 2010 and it was pretty sweet. An extensive 45-piece collection, the SW1 rethinks the conference setting and the notion of live/work. Supporting more social engagements and informal behaviors, the collection promotes a relaxed “lean back” ergonomic attitude through its physical proportions, materials and composition.

Five favorites…

1. Muji aluminum card case
I have used this card case as a wallet for the last 10 years, and I can’t part with it. Just love the fixed size and that it never expands, as well as the way the aluminum has patinaed over the decade.

2. Our roof deck
Love hanging out on our roof deck with friends and family for the few nice months we have in Chicago. It’s essential to have accessible outdoor spaces like this in the city.

3. Nau Clothing
Perfect blend of performance, aesthetic and flexibility. It’s rare that I don’t have at least one piece of Nau on my body. Their materials and cuts are ideal for urban-outdoor climates like Chicago, New York, Seattle and Portland blending protection with refined minimalism.

4. Shade Shade by Jurgen Bey for Moooi
Long time favorite of mine and have it hanging in my studio. Never get bored of the transformation that a simple material idea can have. Love the idea of taking an old irrelevant chandelier and giving it a second modern life.

5. Extremis Qrater
Always liked the simply execution and use of materials from Dirk Wynants at Extremis. The Qrater fire dish is made from weathered steel, which allows it to form a protective rust the moment it is taken out of the box. Many of Wynants ideas center around fun and togetherness but with an unexpected, refined twist.

Jaime Derringer, Founder + Executive Editor of Design Milk, is a Jersey girl living in SoCal. She dreams about funky, artistic jewelry + having enough free time to enjoy some of her favorite things—running, reading, making music, and drawing.