http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/objectified“Every object intentional or not speaks to who put it there” (Andrew Baulvelt, Design Curator). Objectified explores through prominent designers of today issues impacting upon design to make products last longer; and co exist in a sustainability efficient global community. While designing to enrich our lives, we as the designers have the responsibility and opportunity to speak to consumers through our products.
Everybody wants new things. Marc Newson argues that we as designers should design products that are “Non - disposable that consumers want to keep”. Hella Jongerious interest in design “To give individual character to something produced industrially” coincides with this thinking. I strongly believe all designers should address to offer products that consumers want to keep. Products through good design can become an important part of your being and give layers of meaning that enrich your emotional connection to that particular product. Ive’s generation of Apple products are a fantastic example of this.
FACT A technological object has a shelf life of less than 11 months, where does it go? Landfill.
Tim Brown CEO and President of IDEO offers a much more cynical, take on reality “If ones really honest with ones self most of what you design ends up in a land fill somewhere”. As young designers; we uphold a bigger task of exploring new design solutions that aren’t permanent. To design for what happens after people use our products. Karim Rashid suggest an interesting solution “why aren’t mobile phones built of cardboard or sugarcane”? Though conflicting with Newson and Hella’s idealism, it leads to the same outcome for a more sustainable environment. Furthermore I believe, Rashid argues designer today should explore not only innovative design solutions; but also innovative material solutions that wear in rather then wear out.
Objectified offers a critical deconstruction of design reality. It makes what we do as Industrial designers real and prevalent in design history. More so, it offers a benchmark and a somewhat reflection of what we still need and can do to enrich our state of beings.
