Design Instability
Published By Ryan on Sep.05.2008 at 8:00AM
Photo by bdunnette
Every summer I manage to car camping with family and friends a couple of times. This summer was no exception.
When we head north we pack enough magazines to fuel a campfire in the event that wood has disappeared from the face of the earth. We've never had to resort to burning our periodicals, but I often manage to read a couple of them from front to back.
This trip was no exception.
The interesting thing was that Popular Mechanics and Wired both had interviews with designers (Saul Griffith and Philippe Starck, respectively) discussing design sustainability.
Both Starck and Griffith maintained the same opinion: in order to reduce the waste we produce we need to design better. Better design leads to products being kept longer, which leads to less trash, which, ultimately leads to a smaller carbon footprint.
Griffith referenced the ultimate example of this idea:
The Harley-Davidson culture in [the United States] potentially has an ethos more matched to the world's problems, because they love and polish and repair and keep that motorcycle in perfect shape.
The problem with this concept is technology.
Moore's Law (technology doubles in speed, and drops in cost by half every 18 months) creates a harsh reality for technology in design. How do you design for something that is constantly improving?
Both Starck and Griffith made note of this idea
Take the computer: It was the size of a room, then a briefcase. Now it's a credit card. You cannot dematerialize a chair completely, because you must continue to sit on it. —Starck
We have failed so far to conceive of electronic devices that we want to keep for 25 years and that are capable of lasting that long. —Griffith
The answer is certainly not a clear one. Companies have stepped up to the plate and started applying the same ethos that these designers hold true to their hearts.
Apple's iphone is a beautiful little piece of technology. Courtesy of apple.ca
Apple constantly creates products that not only function well in today's technology market, but they take the time to make sure that the product looks good on your shelf, desk, or in your hand.
Their computers hold value for years. My 4 year old laptop was still worth a third of what I paid for it new. PC computers simply don't hold that kind of value. Is it Apple's attention to design that helps keep the value so strong?
Dell's new Desktop Studio Hybrid courtesy of Dell.ca
Other companies have started to apply beautiful design to their computers. Dell recently announced a new media computer that has had designers around the world buzzing about the great look of Dell's new computer.
While great design certainly makes the decision to toss the old out for something newer and better a little more difficult, it still doesn't solve the dilemma that the guts inside the beautiful package don't hold water to the new tech emerging on a seemingly daily basis.
An example of modular technology courtesy of apple.ca
Most computers are modular; you can upgrade memory, storage, video cards, etc. but eventually even this method of replacement reaches a saturation point and leaves us desiring a new computer
When we solve the problem of tech overload we'll truly have a great design.