Blog designophile
By Michael DiTullo - January 14, 2011
Design is all about context. When that contextual information is removed, products can be very confusing. As designers we often see this when people are introduced to a new technology that is manifested in a design that breaks so strongly with tradition that they don't know how to use it. We often try to build in affordances that allow them to relate their current technology to their new technology. Think of how the play button from your Walkman went straight to you Discman, then to your iPod, and as a digtal button on interfaces.
Of course the opposite is true as well. I recently heard of a grade school child coming across a old corded telephone in a junk shop and exclaiming to her parent "look, this way you won't loose your phone!" ... not realizing it was a necessary part of the technology. I haven't seen it more well demonstrated or in a cuter form, than the above video! Enjoy a little Friday laugh at what todays kids think of your Gameboy you oldsters!
Blog designophile
By Michael DiTullo - January 10, 2011
MESH01 is a co-creation platform that focusses on footwear, apparel, equipment and accessories. It links designers and brands worldwide. Together, they create and launch innovative products for the SportStyle industry. They have been running a series of great competitions two of which going on now are the PENSOLE Talent Search which will be judged by D'Wayne Edwards of Brand Jordan and a Freestyle Skate Competition that I will be judging and giving extensive feedback to entrants all through the process. Winner to the Freestyle Skate Competition get copies of my book,"Analog Dreams" first prize in the PENSOLE competition is an awesome scholarship to their program at PENSOLE Parsons New School.
If you are interested in getting into footwear, these might be two great opportunities to dip your toe in, pardon the pun... head over to MESH01and check it out.
Blog designophile
By Michael DiTullo - January 7, 2011
You are looking at the first Dodge ever to use the Charger nameplate, the 1964 Dodge Hemi Charger Concept Car. Developed in late 1963 on Polara underpinnings, it was used by Chryslerto showcase its newest engine at the time, the now iconic 426-cubic inch (7.0-liter) Hemi V8.
Blog designophile
By Michael DiTullo - December 19, 2010
As a Creative Director for a global innovation firm, I fly often. Having to get around the globe on short notice I sample a lot of airlines. All of us should be turning to the passenger next to us saying "can you believe this is really working" on every flight we take, but much of the majesty and magic has been sucked out of the flight experience. From the online booking process, the shoeless, beltless, TSA shuffle through security, to the ragged airplane interiors we are just trying to get through it, perhaps imagining we are in our "happy place".
Not on Virgin, where Sir Richard Branson, billionaire, innovator, adventurer (man crush) and Adam Wells, Virgin America's Design director, have created an immersive design based experience that brings back a touch of that wonder of flight.
Blog designophile
By Michael DiTullo - November 28, 2010
There is a simple paradox I've noticed in product design; the objects with the most direct functions have a greater amount of accepted options in the marketplace. Two excellent examples of this are the chair and the watch. It would be difficult to think of two simpler functions and you would be hard pressed to find products with more choice in form, execution, and price.
In the 1970s, the simple calculator was one such item, as ubiquitous as they were varied. Vintage Technology has 128 examples on display with detailed specs and reviews. Worth it just for fantastic names like The Adman 830 and the Intercord Electronic 101! Some of my faves are above, but be sure to check out the full selection here.
Blog designophile
By Michael DiTullo - November 28, 2010
The Art Center Summer Show is typically a nice way to get the pulse on what upcoming, West Coast, American designers are doing. One project that struck me in particular, and prompted a healthy respose on thecore77 discussion forums, is Daniel Yorba's Cycletron One electric moped. It immediately reminded me of the very different BEND conceptby RISD graduates Erik Askin, Eric Peloquin, and Brian Mitchell. I love how the results of these two projects so perfectly reflect the different approaches of the East Coast RISD and West Coast Art Center. Both get to a relevant solution, and both also show the value of a high fidelity full scale model in the design process. Our digital tools are powerful, but there is still no substitute for seeing something in physical space to see if it is truly lust worthy.
Check out Daniel's and Erik's portfolio sites to see more on each project.
Blog designophile
By Michael DiTullo - November 28, 2010
Donald Norman concludes his recent piece for core77 by saying "But beware: We must not lose the wonderful, delightful components of design. The artistic side of design is critical: to provides [sic] objects, interactions and services that delight as well as inform, that are joyful. Designers do need to know more about science and engineering, but without becoming scientists or engineers. We must not lose the special talents of designers to make our lives more pleasurable." What he might not realize is that we are already losing that creative bent. Our desire to speak the languages of marketing, engineering, and rigorous research have left us neglecting our native tongue, design.
I argue that many young men and women are magnetically pulled toward physical (industrial) design because they have a creative passion to reshape the things around them. We live in an age of magnificent and wonderfully magical experiences. Physical design has a talismanic relationship to those experiences and must fulfill the promise or run the risk of seeming anemic.
We must remember that design is not an academic act and this reminded me of three artists at the polar opposite of much of design thought leadership, but who did much to influence physical design: Umberto Boccioni, Constantin Brancusi, and Isamu Noguchi.
