Comment on Art vs. Design (Museums in the Middle), by Tom Reynolds.
the art of product beyond a museum piece
Most people will never own a Van Gogh. They probably won’t look at a Monet daily. They might not purchase a Brancusi sculpture for the living room, or live in a Frank Lloyd Wright home. On the other hand, they most likely will wake up to look at their alarm clock each morning, drive their car to and from work, and look at their watch countless times. It is easy to underestimate the impact of interacting with these objects. They are part of our daily routines. It is all too easy to discount them as mere products.
A person strapping on their watch, glancing at it throughout the day, every day, possibly for a period of years, has the opportunity to come to know it on an intimate level. It could be the last thing this person sees before drifting to sleep at night and the first thing they see in the morning. This person will know every line, every detail, every nuance of color and shape, even if only on a subconscious level.
From the standpoint of a designer, this is an opportunity to provide people with something above and beyond an object that performs a simple function. It is an chance to give them a work of art. A work of art that they personally interact with every day. A work that people take notice of and admire, or one that blends into the surroundings and makes its statement with a whisper. A work that is a sculptural marvel and technical feat, or one that performs a function with such clean simplicity it takes on an elegance of its own. A work of art that can stimulate every sense, based on the desire of it’s designers.
In this way an object’s form takes on a function of its own. The form of a product transcends styling and becomes the manifestation of an idea. The form is a medium that melds functionless sculpture and sculptureless function into a unified whole creating something entirely different. Creating a piece of art for everyone. Creating a well designed product.
The design of this product can have many purposes. It can be the pure creative _expression of an artist making life more visually satisfying. It can communicate new functions clearly making it a pleasure to use everyday. The most innovative designs do both
This post has some seriously spammed comments. Someone should take a notice to remove them from here. The article was good.
Surf Safer! See the guide to [spam removed]
So, you decide to spam this forum? That makes sense . .
The first part of the article is great, but the latter part seems to be not finished. 