Category: Objectified

It was interesting getting a view into the minds of the people who design the products that we use in our everyday lives. I was continually amazed at the number of designs for chairs that are possible. Our use of chairs is a fairly simple interaction; the only moving part is the person sitting in it or getting up, however the considerations that go into making it seem to be endless. From the shape, material, comfort, aesthetics, sustainability, and how easy it would be to mass produce, it’s no wonder that even today, there isn’t a definitive chair design. This example obviously lends itself to any kind of designed object. Everything that we use has at some level been tailor to an expected use case. It was also interesting seeing the discussion about designing a more comfortable grip for the vegetable peeler. The invented design was actually the version of the product that I was familiar with and this really emphasised a couple of points for me. When a design is really good, you don’t think about it. It seems simple and it can become harder to even imagine things being another way. It also highlights the speed of adoption and ubiquitousness that these designs can take. This being a field that I feel passionately about, I have a huge amount of appreciation for the type of people who constantly re-evaluate these designs and iterate upon them. Jony Ive talking about late 2000’s Apple design philosophy is an absolute treat. It’s clear how their attentiveness to design catapulted the success of their products to the level they have reached today. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this doc and I will probably try to watch Hustwit’s Helvetica at some point in the near future.

1. Do you agree or disagree with any of the designers’ statements, why?

I agree with what the German designers says. I agree because designers and producers need to think clearly about how a product is being created and manufactured. Not just producing something in mass just to put something out. I also agree with his “good design is…” statements.

1. Has anything the designers said changed how you thought about design?

I thought that design had to be something very visually stunning all the time. There have been products that never fully change after each update. Those updates and changes are subtle but they try to be better than before. Now a design just has to be functional and visually appealing.

1. Each designer interviewed for “Objectified” defined how they see Design, how would you define design and how has that definition changed?

I would define design by saying that design is a process that includes drawing a future product, testing the design, revising the design, and then finally finalizing the design and producing. It has changed because I always thought that design was something visual and artistic rather than a process.

Madisyn Kovach

Designing for New Media

When watching Objectified, I did not really disagree with anyone’s comments.  The person that I agreed with most was Alice Rawsthon. One of the things that she mentioned about design that really stayed in my head was when she stated that “when you wake up, everything has been designed one way or another.”  I feel like I agree with this one the most because just think about what you look at in the morning. Some things that I look at include my phone, clothing, toothbrushes, and coffee. If you think about these objects, they all have a logo or design that people know of.  If you think about design, it is all over the world around us. This is why I felt like her quote really left the biggest impact.  

I feel like Paola Antonelli’s objective made me look at design a little differently than how I used to look at it.  Her objective stated to change the perception of design, making sure that people are aware of the importance of design in everyday life.  Now that I think about it, I feel like people should be looking looking at how important design is. Sometimes when I tell people what my major is, they will give me a funny look and ask what that is and how will I be successful in life.  Design is used in everyday life and I feel like people should be aware of that.  

I would say design is made to attract or detract your eye, to help pull you over to something or ignore it.  Design was created to make you look at something for a long period of time, or quickly catch your eye.  The more natural things appear, the easier they are to read. The most important things in my opinion are the readability and usability.  These are all a part of the purpose-built experience. I used to think that the purpose of design was to make everything beautiful, but it turns out, that’s not really true. The purpose of design is much more closely linked to strategy than aesthetics. Design is the process of intentionally creating something while simultaneously considering its purpose, function, economics, sociocultural factors, and aesthetics.  Design is very important and I feel like people should try and describe their own way of design more often.

After watching “Objectified”, I have a better understanding of the importance of design.  One statement, from the documentary, that really stood out to me was the idea that design helps us to “understand ways to improve everyday life.”  I like this thought because it really captures the importance of design.  Design isn’t just about creating something that’s pleasing to the eye, but it’s about creating tools to help make life easier for the consumer.  This thought brings more meaning to the way that I view design.   It helps me to shift my focus from the creative aspect of design to a more purposeful outlook of design building.  Another thought, by one of the designers, that changed my thinking is the idea that design involves what’s going to happen next, as opposed to what’s already taken place.  I think this is an interesting perspective to keep in mind.  Since design is about being innovative and creative, with the purpose of making life easier, it makes sense that designers should focus more on the future instead of the past. If designers want to create a product that’ll enrich the lives of their consumers, then they need to look towards the future of design.  They can do this by thinking outside of the box in order to create something new.  They can’t create a new design if their main focus is on what’s been done already.  Design should always be moving forward, not backwards.  However, I don’t think designers should ignore this all together.  It is important that designers take note of what worked and didn’t work in past designs.  By studying old designs, designers are able to gain a better knowledge of what their consumers want and how they can improve designs for the future.  All that being said, I believe that design is best described as a tool that enhances everyday life through the use of creative processes.  In other words, I like to think of design as art with a purpose.  Not only does it allow one to practice their creativity, but it also gives them a chance to make a difference as well.  That thought is something that I never really focused much on until recently.  I knew that design could help people, but I always focused more on the creative aspect of it.  Watching “Objectified” really helped me to realize just how big of a role design plays in helping to enrich our everyday lives. 

Do you agree or disagree with any of the designers’ statements, why?

I agreed with almost all of the designer’s statements. None of them spoke about anything that caught me off guard or I didn’t agree with. The first thing that I agreed with was right off the bat, design editor Alice Rawsthorn mentioned how “almost everything is designed one way or another” at 4:12. I agree with this and I don’t feel that many other people see things this way. As a graphic design student, people often say to me “what can you do with that degree?” I love to tell people and make them realize that everything is design so they don’t think design is a dumb career choice anymore. Dieter Rams, former design director says that “Good design is long-lived” at 12:51. I agree with this statement. A lot of designs now are sold with the intention of having a shorter lifespan. Although these products are probably sold more because they are “trendier,” I truly think a good design is meant to last. 

Has anything the designers said changed how you thought about design?

As I am still very new to being a design student, I am constantly learning more about it and beginning to think more from a designer’s view. Many of the designers made statements that truly made me change the way I think about design. The first is a statement by design curator Andrew Blauvelt. He explains at about 5:05 how a design may be used in different ways in different cultures and that there is a context that comes with a culture that makes the design makes sense. Also, Dan Formosa, responsible for design and research, said at 6:16 to look and design for the extremes on the user spectrum and everything else will fall in place. I would have never thought of this strategy but will take this advice when designing in the future. Jonathan Ive, senior vice president of industrial design, said something in his interview around 14:30 that made me realize that when we doubt or try to find solutions, even if it is in our mind, that we are designing. The last statement that changed the way I think about design is another one by Andrew Blauvelt. At 21:56 he says how the relationship to a Roomba is different. There is no human interaction relationship, but it is to the room it is cleaning. It was different for me to think like this. Before, I just assumed or didn’t really think that design could be made with no human interaction in mind. Overall, this documentary was very eye-opening for me in the way I see design.

Each designer interviewed for “Objectified” defined how they see Design, how would you define design and how has that definition changed?

The way I would define design is something that is made for the wants or needs of someone’s daily life. It should be easy to use and understand. The graphic designer in me also believes that everything should be very aesthetic, as well. A statement by Dieter Rams, former design director says that “Good design is long-lived” and I think this is true. To me, design should be creating something new, even if it is just an interface or surface-level change. I’m not sure that my definition of design has changed from this documentary, but my perspective definitely has. Watching it has made me more aware of how I deem a design as good or bad and how I see it in general.

            After watching, “Objectified,” I thought it was enlightening in some aspects and in others I agreed with the designer’s opinions. It was interesting to see how each designer has a somewhat different take on the design and interaction. The film focused a lot on the specific objects that could be everyday items that make a huge impact on everyone. I particularly liked the concept that everything in everyone’s daily life is designed and that our jobs as designers is to make people forget that it was designed. All the effort put in it is paid off because of that. I feel that the goal is to problem solve. To think about people’s lives and make one aspect in their lives that suck and improve it.

            I didn’t quite agree with the one guy taking about how our phones should be made of cardboard, because I know as a consumer, I would not want to go out and buy a 300 plus dollar phone every other year because it degrades itself. Although, I do agree that when designing it is extremely important to design to protect the environment. I think overall, this film kind of validated my own opinions of design in a way. I am also of the opinion that everything around us is design. I did like when they said that consumers project themselves into the situation or using the product. It was something that I didn’t really think about in that way which was interesting.

            I think I see design as a way to interact and deliver some sort of message. Whether that be a poster, an ad, the design of a toothbrush, or the way your coffee cup lid screws on your coffee cup. Everything is designed. It is the degree in which the design is functional as a product or communicates a message that determines if it is successful. There are so many elements to design other than functionality as well. A chair could function as a chair, but it may not have support or comfort that the consumers want and sales decrease because of it. However, when something is poorly designed it allows an opportunity for a better product to be designed. With problems comes solutions or at the very least improvements and I think that is what I like about design.

1. Do you agree or disagree with any of the designers’ statements, why?

I agree with all of the designers as they all talk about how design is meant to look at the future. What is going to happen or what is not going to happen and how they can adjust things to that.

1. Has anything the designers said changed how you thought about design?

Everything in our world has been designed. Whether we realize it or not. Every object tells a story even if you can’t read it. When they are designing, the designers look at the extremes and therefore the middle will balance out. They look at designing things that won’t date as bad as other things. Design something that gets better with use, something that can be worn in rather than warns out.

1. Each designer interviewed for “Objectified” defined how they see Design, how would you define design and how has that definition changed?

Before watching this I would have defined design as the more complicated side of things. Like technology objects, websites, complex yet simple object.

After watching the movie I would define design as making everyday objects simple for the users without the user feeling like it has been designed. Making the complicated simple for everyone.

For the most part, I found myself agreeing with all of the points brought up in the documentary. There were only a few instances of statements that I disagreed with or questioned. The first was a relatively unassuming quote from Karim Rashid: “You imagine, if you design a million chairs to date, or how many chairs have been done in the world, why on Earth would we have an uncomfortable chair? There’s like no excuse, whatsoever.” There’s a plethora of excuses for designing an uncomfortable chair. I believe we discussed in class how chairs are designed for the amount of time you’re intended to sit on them. If you don’t want people to sit on the chair for very long, making it uncomfortable is arguably “good” design in that case. Comfort is also quite difficult to segment, as the concept of ergonomics relates more to tailor-made products than it does mass-produced ones. For simple logistical purposes, chairs are designed with a wide range of people in mind, and can’t please everyone. Another statement from Karim that I questioned was “If the shelf life of a high-tech object is less than eleven months, it should be all 100% disposable.” While I can understand the sentiment behind the claim, and I agree that sustainability is important, I feel as though Karim’s wish is either hyperbolic or unrealistic at the present time. I don’t necessarily disagree with the statement, but I don’t think it’s realistic either.

That being said, this statement, coupled with the statements of some of the other designers in this documentary, prompted me to think quite a bit more about sustainability in everyday design. Karim’s utopian idea of a smartphone made of sugarcane might not be realistic, but it certainly makes one think. Similarly, the story that Thomas Overthun tells about stumbling over his own toothbrush on a beach led me to think more about the space an object occupies both during and after its use, geographically, mentally, and volumetrically. I also found myself thinking more about how design fits into the user’s personal story, how users feel about their own ability to understand a design, and how some designs come about from extensive group planning whilst others are moments of singular inspiration.

Prior to watching this documentary, I’m not sure I had a concrete definition of design, and I’m not sure if I do now having watched it either. Complete or not, the definition of design that I’ve come up with is that design is the act of creating objects or experiences that provide utility. It’s a basic definition, but it’s broad in its interpretation and application. To provide utility is essentially to make an object or experience better in some way. Even if the design is an intentionally uncomfortable chair, that chair is uncomfortable for a reason. It might not make the object or experience better for the user, but it makes it better for the entity it was designed for – for example, urban tourism in the case of defensive design. Price itself allows for a measure of utility. If people are willing to pay for a design, it must have some kind of utility.

1) Do you agree or disagree with any of the designers’ statements, why?

As I was watching through the documentary I didn’t disagree with any of the designers statements. This because I like to keep an open mind to possible influences on my own design from seasoned professionals.  I did however agree with many statements and enjoyed these looks on design. The first statement I agreed with was when Dan Formosa said that when you design you need to design for the outlier. If you approach something like this then everyone is covered. I really agreed with this because it is a great way to approach design. You are designing for as many people as possible so designing with the outlier in mind really ensures that your product or service will succeed. The next designer statement that resonated with me was when Jonathan Ives said when something is done right, it “almost feels undesigned.” I really agreed with this statement and it is something that I have never really thought about before. When you think about design you want to have your creation stand out for being great but when it feels undesigned it is accomplishing just that. The last statement that I really enjoyed was when the french brothers Irwin and Ronan Bouroullec were talking about design being related to creating music because they both include the need of harmony. I enjoyed this because it is a great way to look at design and is something I have never thought of before personally.

2) Has anything the designers said changed how you thought about design?

Many of the things that the designers have said about design have opened up new ways of looking at design that I never have before. One of the main statements that changed how I thought about design was when Karim Rashid was talking about his problem with the longevity of objects and the materials used to make them. He thinks that if any product has a shelf life of 11 months or less, it should be all 100% disposable. He questions why anything is built to be permanent.This really got me thinking because this is never something you think about when designing new products. As a designer you want your products and creations to look new, clean, quality, and timeless and often the materials used for this are ones that are produced to last forever. This just accounts for a lot of waste when the latest and greatest product comes around and replaces the one you are currently using. This is definitely something I am going to keep in mind when designing and analyzing designs I see in everyday life.

3) Each designer interviewed for “Objectified” defined how they see Design, how would you define design and how has that definition changed?

I would define design as creation for the improvement of the overall good. This is because whether you are designing a visual or physical art form you are trying to evoke emotion from your audience and improve society in one way or another, however you see fit. I don’t really think my definition of design has changed but the way that I look at design and the materials used has definitely. The longevity of design has never been something I have payed much attention to. After hearing what these designers had to say I will definitely be taking into account the longevity of my design and the materials used.

1. Do you agree or disagree with any of the designers’ statements, why?

Most of the designers in the film had similar opinions on what design is.  Overall they were very passionate about the thought process involved in design from creation to distribution to disposal of the product.  They want items to be worth having and not just create stuff for consumers.  I have to agree with all of that as I believe that people have become too material heavy and many companies are just creating more and more items in hopes that people will continue to buy more.  Even though I agree that good design can increase the purpose of an item, I don’t think it works for everyone to have one item do everything.  Jonathan Ive, Senior Industrial Designer at Apple, talked about how they focus on putting as many functions as possible into one piece.  That means that something is designed well when it has multiple functions.  I believe there is some worth to this statement but at the same time, I believe that simplicity is sometimes necessary.  Different technology companies focus heavily on trying to make the newest gadgets and I think they overcomplicate things sometimes.  Apple creates technology is a well designed manner that make them extremely user friendly and make the user feel intelligent or “hi-tech” when using them.  But I don’t believe every scenario has to be about limiting the number of items a person needs to achieve a specific task.  I do absolutely agree with Jonathan Ive’s statement that there has to be visual hierarchy in the creation of a product.  Specifically he talked about the light that shows the computer being powered on it being on versus off.  This light signifies something important but it’s not the most important feature, because it’s more something the user can just acknowledge.  You as the designer have to determine what it is that the user absolutely needs to see first and visually show them what they should be interacting with.

1. Has anything the designers said changed how you thought about design?

I agreed with most of the designers statements and thoughts on design as I also believe design is this ever-changing method of creating that looks to the future and works to improve people’s lives.  But I did find Anthony Dunne and Fiona Raby’s perspective on design very interesting.  They know that there is a huge mass market of items being produced and designed for people but they like to reach people’s mind’s more than a space in their homes.  The way they create items simply to inspire thought is something that intrigues me and I believe that the design world and the consumer need more of that.  I believe in some ways, design has become too focused on mass manufacturing and I think sometimes the user isn’t challenged to think about anything besides wanting the product.  Maybe some designers are ok with that and plan to continue making items for the purpose of selling them but I believe design should be turning towards making the consumer think.

1. Each designer interviewed for “Objectified” defined how they see Design, how would you define design and how has that definition changed?

I define design as the method in which things or processes are created to better the lives of the people who use and interact with them.  Design takes individual needs, culture, and different academic studies into account.  After watching Objectified and thinking about what the designers said, I believe that design is becoming more thought provoking in what ways items and processes effect ourselves and the environment.  Or some designers think design should be more about getting in the heads of consumers to understand the full effect of what our designs have on them.  So just in general design seems to be moving towards the thought process behind everything than the actual creation of things.

I tend to agree with most of what the designers in “Objectified” had to say about design. Most of them seem to agree that most everything is designed – intentionally or not and that the best designs have stories to tell, are long-lived, get better with age, and connect emotionally with the user. The best designs are those that people want to keep.

I disagree with the statement by Karim Rashid that there is no reason that anyone, in this day and age, should design an uncomfortable chair. I do believe that most chairs should be comfortable; however, there is a time and place for an uncomfortable chair. Uncomfortable chairs can be used to keep people from staying in one place for too long. Fast-food restaurants don’t want their customers to linger for overly-long periods of time, and their business thrives on the fast turn-around. Bus stop benches are purposefully made uncomfortable for a variety of reasons. One reason would be to dissuade the homeless from sleeping on them. Another would be, so people who are waiting for the bus don’t get too comfortable and miss the bus for lack of attention. I tend to read everywhere I go. If the story is interesting enough and I was sitting at a comfortable bus stop, I might get so absorbed in my book that I would miss the fact that my bus was at the stop. Being uncomfortable keeps the user focused on the next task that they need to complete so they can get out of the uncomfortable situation they are currently in.

I was familiar with the concepts being discussed in “Objectified.” Because of this, I did not have an epiphany moment while watching the video. I did find that I related to Bill Moggridge’s story about how, after using the laptop computer he designed, he forgot about the physical design of the product and realized he needed to learn how to design the software as well, so he could design the whole experience. This story made me think of when I first realized that I would like to learn how to build websites. My first experience with “coding” came from designing online products for the company I work for. I was creating templates for our users to create business card through our website and the templates had to match the print versions we had already done. I would get lost in the code, trying to figure out how to accomplish specific tasks. Hours would go by, but it didn’t feel like hours. I realized I was having fun.

I have always thought of design as a way to take the information given to me and make it easy to understand by organizing it in such a way that makes it clearly communicate ideas. The short answer is to “pretty it up.” My view of design started to change when I realized how much more is expected of a designer today than was expected twenty years ago. A designer of yesterday was able to survive by specializing in one area of design with some basic knowledge of other areas. Now, designers must be diverse in their specialties with more than just basic knowledge of other areas. Designers need to be able to think about all aspects of design, not just how the product will look, but how that product will impact the world – “Cradle to grave” design for physical products and thinking about the impact digital products might have on society. Since I have been back to school, my definition of design has changed a bit and will most likely continue to evolve with each new class that I take.

Objectified overall has changed my opinion and thoughts on design, both as a whole and in the details of what makes good design. My beginning definition or thought of design was the idea of making something look interesting in order to sell or display. Mainly only thinking of the products that caught my eye. Instead, through many of Objectified ‘s featured designers statements, it made me not only broaden my view of design but also focus on what successful design is.

Throughout Objectified there are many designers that throw out statements that seem slightly outrageous, but instead requires a bit of thought in order to understand. From thoughts on how design should look to thoughts on how design should live. One of the first statements that I noticed was the idea that a designer should focus on the extremes rather than the normal, when it comes to potential customers. Originally I would have said that you would want to focus on the majority of your consumers, making the product work best for them. Now I realize that design for the extremes, it can make a designer focus on possible problems the design will run in to. For example if you are making an app and focus on designing it for older people, it can make the designer create it more intuitively so that the app is read well for the extreme part of their consumer spectrum. Another big idea discussed by several of the designers in Objectified was on the lifecycle of a product. My idea before would to make a product live for as long as you can, long lasting materials, and a design that would look appealing for years to come. While it is discussed that a product should stand the test of time when it comes to the looks of the product, it also is said that each product should think about after it is thrown out. This is mainly focused on material selection, predicting how long the consumer might use the product before throwing it out. Karim Rashid specified that he would was his phone to be made of cardboard because of how often they are replaced. This radically changed my thought of design and made me think design as a whole lifetime instead of just getting it to a customer. Finally, it was stated that a design should make a user think of how they will apply it to their life rather than make them marvel on how much work was put in by designers and engineers. At first I always thought it was interesting to think about how a designer or engineer thought of a solution to a problem. Instead this statement made me look back at products that I thought had great design, making me realize that I never thought about the design and just applied it to my life.

Objectified changed my opinion and thoughts on design in many ways broadening my vision by now looking at extremes of the consumer, to the lifecycle of a product. Also showing me the keys to what makes good design through simple intuitiveness. Many of the statements seemed off putting at first but soon changed my thoughts of how design works.

 

Seamus Corr

Objectified Response

1. Do you agree or disagree with any of the designer’s statements, why?

There were a lot of designer’s opinions that I do fully agree with. Designer Dieter Rams really stood out to me, however. He stated that design should be a multitude of things. Design should be innovative, honest, useful, long-lived, environmentally friendly, minimalistic, etc. I agree with this quote the most, especially in the sense of designing for new media.

2. Has anything the designers said changed how you thought about design?

Again, Dieter Rams absolutely changed how I thought about design. He stated that new designs are thoughtless and arbitrary. Alongside his thought of good design being minimalistic, I’ve always catered my work to minimalism. I feel getting the point across rather than adding flashy details is much more effective.

3. Each designer interviewed defined how they see Design, how would you define design and how has that definition changed?

I view design as a media for relaying a message. Personally, I would much rather view a poster for an event rather than read a short article about the event. Before I started my education at RMU, I tended to create very flashy and colorful designs that would grab the attention of a viewer through color and boldness. Now I believe that good design captures attention and retains attention through sleek and much more thought out placement of information.

Thought of Design:

1. Objectified. Do you agree or disagree? Design gets better with use of good design. It involves the interaction of many facets. I would agree. When you see an object you make many assumptions. Every object speaks to another on how it was created or formed. Change over and how to redesign the flow. So all is unisex. There is a story with every object. Objects have many uses for cultures. Focus on people to decide what is needed for the design that looks for extremes.
2. Does anything they change help you think of the design? Put great design in everyday things. Good design is constant. One long line, constantly looking and questioning the design. You are constantly designing. How do you connect to the product? Figure out the process, Find out what is the most important. By the shape of the object, Can figure what the series is. Look at the design of the form of the object. The ritual, the cultures of the subject. Texture source of the human relationship. The expressions, with the color.
3. Our definition of what you design is. The design is the search for form. An appropriate idea where people feel good. Create harmony, is like designing. Use design to look towards the future. Add value for mortality. Good design shows you what you want. Distinguishes you from the ability to tend to want a new/ fresh look. Objects become apart of you. Use of memories, culture, iconic, and detailed work.