BDS 101

Assignment 1

“Is my design good design?” “What is good design, what makes it so good?” These are great questions to be asking when creating anything. They are questions that a designer named Dieter Rams attempted to answer.

I really enjoyed reading Deiter Ram’s 10 principles for good design.

1.       Innovative. Not innovative for innovation’s sake, but innovative hand-in-hand with innovative technology.

2.       Useful. You want your product to be used. Why would you design it and include anything that would get in the way of that?

3.       Aesthetic. A product should be beautiful. Your intent is that it is used often, daily even. You don’t want to affect people’s lives negatively by having them become accustomed to an ugly product.

4.       Understandable. A product’s design is part of what helps its user understand how to use it. They work together.

5.       Unobtrusive. A product should force itself on the user. It should be pleasing to look at, but not demand attention other than the fact that it is useful.

6.       Honest. Products should look like what they are. They shouldn’t have a facade that makes them appear to be more or less than what they are meant to do.

7.       Long-lasting. Quite simply, trends don’t last. Products that are trendy will soon look ridiculous and aged. Good design is ageless.

8.       Detailed focused. No guessing on if the user will figure it ou. Every detail of how the product will be used is considered important.

9.       Environmentally friendly. Design to use as few resources as possible. But also, does your product fit in with the environment it will be in? Is it a sign that clashes with the place it will end up?

10.   Have as little design as possible. Forget the frills and excess. Design what is necessary to make a beautiful product that is easy to use. No more.

I tried to internalize this information and find 3 objects around my house that I felt were examples of good design.

Object 1

DEWALT Drill

I own a dewalt drill. It is a heavy duty, pistol grip drill. Dewalt markets itself as the choice contractors and professionals which also allows it to appeal a symbol of quality to the average consumer. I think that this drill is a good design because of its durability, aesthetic, and ergonomics. Ergonomically it feels nice to hold with its rubber grip and a two-finger trigger make you feel more in control. The weight distribution is nice the battery residing in the bottom of the handle. The drill has a black and yellow color pattern that most users associate with the construction business and is also very noticeable. Maybe Dieter Rams would disagree, but I think the casing is beautiful and creates great brand recognition. The functional features of the product make it long lasting with hardened steel gear transmission and a tough outer casing. It fits 2, 3, 4, 7, 8 of Ram’s list.

Object 2

Ice bucket

The ice bucket is such a simple concept and design that I would have thought any design improvements would have been unattractive and unable to stand the test of time. That was until I happened upon this ice bucket pictured above.  It has a handle that is connected to it lid. It can be carried by the handle but can also open the top of the bucket with a push to the handle via a simple hinge. The top of the bucket is thus never lost and it can be opened easily while handling it. The design is also unobtrusive and does not take away the timeless appearance of the piece. I think that this object is a great representation of numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 10 of Ram’s list.

Object 3

Iphone

The entire design of the iphone has been what has set it apart from other smartphones. I think that it meets all ten points of Ram’s list. If I had to pick a few though I would say that it is detailed focused, understandable to the user, and has as little as design as possible. Every aspect of the Iphone is detail focused with its hardware seamlessly fitting with a lack of reveals or fasteners; the polished aluminum frame is a solid piece which leads to beauty and strength. The software is almost universally understandable. It relies on stylized icons to communicate the purpose of each command. An example is the weather app that is represented by an icon that has sun and cloud on it. The interface of the phone is a touch screen but the each icon design of the operating software is shaped in a way to denote a 3 dimensional button, inviting the user to press it. The entire design lacks unnecessary frills and obtrusive design. Even the marketing logo used is unobtrusive to the product, using a simple apple on the back of the phone.