Does wearable technology tick all the right boxes?

Very few of us own Glass or Galaxy Gear but many of us would love to at least try them once. And what about the iwatch rumoured to come out in 2014? What is the hype all about? After all, Captain Spock’s Communicator is here now: the mobile phone. What was science fiction has become reality. The pace is innovation is such that we can reasonably assume that we will see the unimaginable in our lifetime. After all, the person who will live until 200 years old has apparently already been born!

I needed a narrative for the book and given my newly found interest in technological wearables, I decided to give it a positive spin and go against Sunday Times’ opinion. Josh Glancy thinks it is all gimmicky and more suited to teenagers though most of them could

not afford the gadgets. I believe he’s wrong and that once they becomes a fashion item, we will all want them. Today’s mobile phones are yesterday’s trainers and sports gear’s fashion statement. Once the price comes down, so will tech wear. Also Burberry’s chief Angela Ahrendts is joining Apple next year to become senior vice president for retail and online stores. Earlier, Apple hired Paul Deneve, the former chief executive of the French fashion house Yves Saint Laurent, to work on special projects.  This is when fashion meets tech. Watch this space.

It could be that the latest hires from Apple and the rush to beat the corporate giant made Samsung launch Galaxy Gear too soon. The watch is cumbersome and heavily reliant on bluetooth. Never mind. Those teething problems will be sorted. In my book I touched upon those faults but only briefly with a different font and background that are meant to clash with the undertone of the product. I, however, finish with a poster washed by vibrant colours and people partying for what’s to come with the slogan can’t live without.

The book took ages to complete as I experimented with many fonts and logos. To contrast the pros and the cons in the layout was also not straightforward. I used a scale but the whole message was lost and the look clanky. So I opted to reverse the letters to oppose it to the positive and exciting message of the book instead.  I think this was a good move.

Playing with typeface, colours and layout is time consuming. It takes planning. Given more time, I would probably come up with a product I am really happy with. As it stands now, I am glad to have experimented with so many aspects in a short space of time.

This is definitely the pathway I will choose.  I can’t wait to learn more.

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