Introducing Pi // Patterns & Insights

Pi // Patterns & Insights is a bi-annual printed broadsheet published by Amazon designers for Amazon designers to creatively communicate the socio-cultural patterns and insights we are tracking and the affects they have on behaviors and decisions of customers. Its purpose is to encourage curious Amazonians to connect the dots of socio-cultural shifts, historic context, and aesthetics with design, technology, and customer mindsets.

Pi Issue 01 Love. Life. Home. (Spring 2019)

Pi Issue 01 Love. Life. Home. (Spring 2019) explores the role of the meaning of home, including historical context of a Western home, products, materiality, color, and rituals as well spectrum of ages in the home, and design influencers. It also includes book, film and exhibition recommendations based on the idea of home.

From Tyler Moore, editor Pi

“We set out to connect design with the way we experience the world around us. We have to be constantly looking, reading, engaging, listening to distill and help influence designs that address human needs. Detecting and revealing patterns and insights is about making us more aware, stimulating us to learn, being active—emotional, sensorially and subliminally—making sure the human experience is at the core of the design of a product, situation, space or service.

We set out to connect design with the way we experience the world around us. We have to be constantly looking, reading, engaging, listening to distill and help influence designs that address human needs.

This first issue of Pi is all about the home. What does “home” mean today and how can we learn from the past and predict the future of home? We are all to be living in connected homes, and some of us already are, but what does that mean and how does that affect how we engage with each other? How important is living with design and in affect how it becomes (a self-identity) apart of who you are and how you view the world (think). Being intentional about the spaces and objects we live with and how some of us shop by a catalog or Pinterest and others like to find themselves in estate sales or vintage furniture stores looking for that one piece that helps tell them more about their life’s narrative. No matter who you are, we all make decisions to live with things and intentionally design our spaces to feel more comfortable and like us. After all, the goal is to make it feel like home.

We will be tapping into the cultural zeitgeist, focusing on trends, patterns, on culture and how we can blend these together and weave them into meaning through experiences. With Pi we want to give you moments of reprieve from this screen filled world we all live in and get us into a moment of time when you can kick your feet up on the desk or better yet take a walk to the park and read about topics we find interesting or stimulating and how these articles might filter back into our everyday. We also plan to adhere to a thematic directive with each edition of Pi and fully embrace the world of culture, design, and technology through that very specific lens. Our distribution of Pi as a bi-annual will make its’ way through Seattle, San Francisco, New York, Boston, Berlin, London, Madrid, & Costa Rica. We also will be digitally publishing some relevant Pi articles to our design website so you can always access those and become familiar with other design-related content at amazon.design. We hope you find something of interest as you explore this issue, that might make you stop and think a bit about the world and how amazing the human brain is when you give it time to breathe and wonder and dream a bit. Here’s to more of that…”

From Cameron Campbell, curator Pi

“Designing for the everyday allows us to make sense of new worlds, our personal stories, socio-cultural references, material explorations, technological experiences, and personal expression. These relationships and connections have never been more important, particularly in the world today. It makes me happy that I chose to become a design forecaster and curator all those years ago—especially because it gives me the chance to bring spheres of thinking together and to explore these new frontiers with you.

So, welcome to Pi Issue 01: Love Life Home. We think we’ve created a hybrid magazine that combines curiosity, beauty, fun, and yes, data, that encourages deeper questions and dialogue. Because all of you—wonderful, peculiar, and intriguing people that live in homes. You have some amazing stories to tell—stories of secrets, lies, frustration, tragedy, and heartbreaks. Of tenderness, happiness and love. Our homes are not just our homes, they harbor the most captivating stories of all—our lives—a steady place allowing us to learn, be curious, and think big.”

Early Commentary on Pi Issue 01 Love. Life. Home.

“I absolutely love it.”

“I love reading about the historical context of home.”

“I LOVE IT, Especially the part about the baths! The Romans were so visionary!”

“The whole theme of home is so meaningful and something everyone can relate.”

“I feel so inspired.”

“I just wanted to tell you how much I’ve enjoyed immersing myself in Pi – the thoughtful, insightful writing / the simple, stunning layout / all of the delightful little surprises/ the smell and feel of paper!”

“Love.Love.Love.”

“I’ve shared it with my team and the consensus is… we can’t wait for what’s next. This is an inspiring departure from the expected – it gets the ol’ brain gears turning.”

I loved all the different angles from which “home” was explored, especially the “connected” home theme, which is something I have been obsessed with for 2 decades – we’re talking 1970s home automation technology, X10.

First off, I love the whole concept. We moved around a lot when I was a kid, and one of the ideas I’ve explored a lot in my coaching and therapy, is my lack of a sense of “home” in any traditional sense. Could not wait to leave my last hometown of 25,000 people. I moved to Seattle 21 years ago, and never looked back. So a lot of the PI Issue 01 content, words, pictures, and ideas all resonated. I loved all the different angles from which “home” was explored, especially the “connected” home theme, which is something I have been obsessed with for 2 decades – we’re talking 1970s home automation technology, X10. Thank you.