Last week in class we watched the film Objectified in which designers discussed the industry of product design. The film was very interesting with a diverse cast of interviewees all across the world, it also did a good job of covering many different topics relating to the industry.
As far as my opinion on the topic is concerned, I am by no means an expert in how to design a product for use in the real world, having made very little in the way of consumer products. Even so I could still understand where some of the designers were coming from. Some of my favorite discussion came from the idea that everything that we use and take for granted each day was designed, and probably had a story to it. Some of the designers agree that if a design goes unnoticed it is doing it’s job, but I think if anything that’s just too broad a statement. In my own life I try to make decisions on things on a case by case basis, and I think this should go for design as well. Not everything should just fade into our lives and be taken for granted, something can preform well and still make the user think, “this product is astounding.” at least every once in a while. As I was saying though I do agree with many other ideas mentioned, specifically the thought that you have to strip away the unimportant aspects of a design in order to get the best product. Minimalism is the key in my opinion, to creating a long lasting design. This is because trends in style come and go but a useful product can be used until something takes it’s place, not because it becomes ugly.
Some things discussed did ring very clear to me and made me start thinking about a topic I never have considered in this way before, the idea of product life cycle. Prior to watching the film I never thought about the flip side of the extreme pace of innovation in modern technology. If I put my tube television out on the curb it disappears, then I never think of it again except to curse it for having such a terrible picture. It goes somewhere though, and in most cases it seems like that place isn’t very economically friendly. The problem of a short life cycle is probably the thing that will stick with me from this film, and constantly make me question what the unintended consequences of innovation are.
Overall my definition of design has not really changed, everyone has a different way of saying it, or their own ideas about what goes into good design. I truly believe that design is much too large to throw under one sentence, but in the spirit of hypocrisy; design is the way we shape our world to fit ourselves, to make life easier, and to make things more beautiful.