OBJECTIFIED

Objectified is a documentary about industrial design that was made by the same people that made Helvetica. Throughout this documentary, several industrial designers talk about why they design their objects the way that they did. Most people would not think much about the thought process that goes into designing something as simple as a potato peeler. As with other objects that we probably take for granted, they study people and their needs to make the object work better for them along with a design to make them appealing to the eye.

"Naoto Fukasawa is a lecturer in the product design department of the Musashino Art University and Tama Art University in Tokyo. Naoto Fukasawa's designs have won more than 50 design awards in Europe and America. His designs include wall mounted cd player / Muji, and Infobar / auKDDI. In his recent works, there are neon / auKDDI and twelve / Issey Miyake / Seiko. Other than Japanese projects, there is a range of projects with Italian, German and other European companies." He realized that there was not a need to create new forms. All that needed to be done was to take away from the product what was not needed and to keep only what was needed "and let the form and hierarchy be dictated by what materials that best allow them to do that and by how people connect with the product."

Naota Fukasawa









Jonathan Ive is Apple's Chief Designer. He believes that design is the search for form. He said that at Apple they like to design products that do not have obtrusive lights or buttons. On the new MacBook Pro laptop, the power button does not extend past the case and a thin power light on the front edge of the laptop only is noticeable when the lid is shut and it is in sleep mode. I personally have a brand new MacBook Pro laptop and the unibody design is very nice and sleek. My only concern is not being able to remove the battery. "'With technology, the function is much more abstract to users," Ive, then 32, told us. "So the product's meaning is almost entirely defined by the designer." Even then, it was clear that Apple's head of design knew what he was doing. Ive defined his overarching design principles as "simplicity, accessibility, honesty, and enjoyment.'" "'He likes to make perfect stuff," says Brunner, offering the first of three keys to Ive's success. That design perfection -- the first touch-screen smartphone, the dominant MP3 player, the first titanium laptop -- has become the benchmark by which companies in all industries judge themselves. "I've even had a plumbing company say, 'We want our showerhead to be our version of the iPod,' " says Brunner, now a partner at the design firm Ammunition. "Ive has this design ability combined with a craftsmanlike mentality.'"
I enjoyed watching this documentary. I never considered the role of the designer in making objects that we use on a daily basis. It seems to me that these designers are making sculptures instead of tools, appliances, gadgets or furniture. It's like they are making artwork for us to enjoy by not just looking at it, but by using it and possibly making our life better or easier.