Trends in products; Trip to Harvey

Trends In Products

Minimal

I would say one of the difficult things for a designer is to make a product look coherent, even the details like buttons should echo with the overall form. (One of the difficulties I face when designing the toy for the major project is also blending the crank into the overall form.)

Some of the more attractive product designs I saw:
From a hair dryer to electric fan, all of them have a very simple and minimal form. Nowadays, people wants to see as much functions in a minimal structure as possible. Minimalism is the ultimate sophistication. Minimalism is beauty.

Less edges, more curves

To add on, many of the products also have an organic form with more curvatures and less edgy sides. Their clean and smooth surface attracts customers to touch it.

Read more about Minimalism in Design here

Old is new.

The idea of creating new products with a style similar to a style from the past is quite an irony and it apparently has become an in-thing right now. The use of softer pastel colors captures the attention of customers, and by using nostalgia appeals to them through emotions and sentimentality. In a sense, these products focus more on the emotional factors.

Read more about Nostalgia in Design here

 

Giving ‘form’ to a product

During the last lecture, we were introduced to 3 main nodes that influence the aesthetics or “form” of a product:

Function. Human factor. Emotion.

How different people’s opinion about a product may be influenced by certain associations that are important to them, such as:
– How useful it is 
– How comfortable it is
– Whether it provides a link with their past
etc.

 

Function.

In my opinion, I think that a functional based product is something that compromises on the physical beauty or even the user’s comfort and focuses more on the product’s functionality and practicality. An example of this would be medical equipment such as an ultrasound machine. 

Ultrasound machine
An ultrasound machine is a product that requires a certain knowledge in order to use and it is used to see internal body structures through the application of ultrasound. It is mostly used to find the source to an illness or examine pregnant women. I think that products which are used in safety-critical situations such as an ultrasound machine are where aesthetics may never predominate. The designing process would be more on “how it works” instead of “how it looks like”.

 

Human factor.

I would say that a product that is more human-centered would be one that provides comfort that fits their target market and prioritizes user’s experience. For example, a baby stroller which is designed for both the parents and the baby.

 

Bob Revolution Flex Stroller

Baby stroller
I think a well-designed baby stroller takes into consideration both the comfort of the baby and the parent.They would provide ergonomic features such as ultra padded seats and shock absorbent head pad for a fragile baby, height adjustable handle bar for the parents, high-impact polymer composite wheels, etc. In this case, the designing process focuses more on fulfilling the comfort and convenience of the target users.

 

Emotion.

I think that a product that focuses on the emotional factor is one that leaves an impact on the user, and makes them feel good. One example I could think of is the classic rubber ducky.

Rubber ducky
The ubiquitous yellow rubber ducky is something that probably everyone is familiar with and has a long history since the 1970s till today. The product is eye catching and provides a soothing presence for toddlers during bath time. This childhood toy evokes a sense of playfulness in everyone, creates good memories and fulfills emotional satisfaction.

All in all, different products comes with a different purpose and target market, I think that as a designer, we should learn to differentiate and consider all these three components that influence the aesthetics of the product from the start of the designing process and hopefully strike a balance between all of them.

Minimalism, simplicity.

PD II

First Task:
Prepare a one-page post with images that explain (text) which (one) of the following product designers you best identify with:

1. Marc Newson
2. Fukasawa
3. Ross Lovegrove
4. Yves Behar
5. Karim Rashid.

Among the 5 designers, I best identify with the designers, Marc Newson and Naoto Fukasawa. Their styles and products they design may be different but I find them similar in the sense that their designs are simple, easy to use and sleek.

Marc Newson has been described as the most influential designer of his generation.

Marc Newson, Kettle and Toaste

Many of his designs have been a runaway success for his clients and have achieved the status of modern design icons.

Montblanc M

Personally, I find his design simple and clean, elegant and sleek. I really love it.

Naoto Fukasawa is another designer I really admire because of the same reasons.

Naoto Fukasawa humidifier
Naoto Fukasawa humidifier

I find that simplicity is what brings the user to notice the beauty in the product’s form, surface texture and the details.

3 words: Keep it simple.