In the movie Objectified, designers all had one thought in common… “why isn’t all design, good design.” Everything we do from the moment we wake up in the morning is dependent on the design of objects. The toothbrush has a special grip designed so your hand doesn’t slip, a chair is curved differently in the back so its comfortable, or the hedge cutters are slightly bent in on the handles so the amount of pressure on you goes down and accuracy goes up. Whether what we use is good or bad design, design itself is all around us.
Who are some of the leaders in good design? Apple was a good example. It’s functional, it’s beautiful, and it draws people in. Take an iPod touch for example: It is user friendly; it is designed to be the perfect aid right in your hand. The devices from mac were described as using and reusing some of the same materials, so as not to be wasteful. And from a graphic design point of view (my major) it is visually communicative that these products do exactly what they say and promise no falsities.
Another example is Target. Target has spent time with designers to create lasting products. From a personal example all dorm accessories, bedding, towels, toiletries etc. have been designed to mix and match in hundreds of ways so that with just a few main products they have designed a whole dormitory worth of different rooms. Everything is user friendly and does what is shown. Good design does not promise things it cannot deliver.
Objectified described design as an ‘object set in motion.’ All objects speak to different people differently. Different objects strike emotions that differ between us. An example used was that despite what might be the most helpful or logical, which items would you personally pick up and take with you if you had 20 minutes to evacuate your house? I might pick a picture frame, various clothes, a journal…what would you pick?
Designers all having similar goals: we want to improve and make the best design! Objectified pointed out an interesting fact: why do we keep designing the same things over and over again? Sure the digital camera was originally designed to be rectangular because of the shape of the film, but it’s 2011, we’ve gone digital, so why do we keep the same shape in the design of a camera? We don’t need to build all these items that don’t fit into our era. Let’s improve in every way possible.
Another interesting point mentioned was how design affects the environment. You don’t have to be a tree hugger to do something to help out earth. Everyone in this era is waiting for the best new thing to come out. The items we all go to replace aren’t necessarily worn out, we’ve just gotten tired of them. So all those extra things we’ve decided we don’t need has ended up in the landfill. Which brings us to the point- why is everything built to be permanent? If we are careful, treat our stuff well then it should last. What we need to remember is that where the object in our pocket that will last forever now… will also last forever in the landfill.
Objectified was a combination of many designers and their thoughts on the design world. I learned that where design is very important, it can also be very simple way to help out society. There is no reason to produce a bad design and have it end up in the landfill. Things should be built to last, and we should only work to improve them.
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