Notes
Here was a temptation to prettify a familiar object. Happily, we resisted it. We made the jar square with tapered sides, thereby giving the consumer a saving storage space, providing a jar that wouldn't roll off the kitchen table, and handing the manufacturer a thumping sales advantage. It was another lesson in the basic simplicity of good design.
ritz replies...
As unglamorous as it sounds, this is good design. A small change that helped the seller and the buyer make their lives better. Simple as that.
At the expense of forfeiting originality, and it is a great temptation to hide locks and access panels, we try to make things obvious to operate, not only in airplane interiors but in everything we do.
ritz replies...
This has got to be one of the harder parts of being a designer. There always seems to be a "cool" way to do it, and it rarely seems to line up perfectly with the "effective" way to do it... I guess great designers figure out how to line that up!
A client, proud of a new product, has been known to take it home for inspection by his wife or, worse, by the guests at a large dinner party. Usually their criticism fails to evaluate consumer appeal, production methods, competition, costs, and distribution. It's also highly likely that they aren't potential customers.
ritz replies...
Constructive criticism is always a great thing and you should look for it wherever you possibly can. But you have to be careful what criticism you use to change your plans.
Somehow these recollections of the past give us comfort, security, and silent courage. By embodying a familiar pattern in an otherwise wholly new and possibly radical form, we can make the unusual acceptable to many people who would otherwise reject it.
ritz replies...
It's amazing the right context and how things are framed can make something scary seem friendly.
A genius, it seems to me, is a man or woman who combines an enormous amount of "know-how" with the purity of outlook of a child.
ritz replies...
The more you know, the more your think your answer is the right answer. The more you think your answer the right answer, the less likely you'll be open to other answers. Then you just get dumb again.
Dan's lists
Reread and Reread and Reread
All the books I feel are worth going back to and reading again at some point. Possibly yearly? Who knows...
Description edit
A cult read among designers for more than half a century, the famous manifesto of America's greatest industrial designer is finally back in print! From the first answering machine ("the electronic brain") and the Hoover vacuum cleaner to the SS Independence and the Bell telephone, the creations of Henry S. Dreyfuss have shaped the cultural landscape of the 20th century. Written in a robust, fresh style, this book offers an inviting mix of professional advice, case studies, and design history along with historical black-and-white photos and the author's whimsical drawings. In addition, the author's uncompromising commitment to public service, ethics, and design responsibility makes this masterful guide a timely read for today's designers.
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Additional information
- Pages: 256
- ISBN: 1581153120
- EAN: 9781581153125
- Dewey: 745.2
- Binding: Paperback
- Publisher: Allworth Press
It was worked out without benefit of a lawyer, and we considered it merely a written explanation of an understanding rather than a legal document. It is our feeling that, if a client decided he no longer wanted to work with us, we would not want to hold him to a contract, and vice versa. No contract can control the quality of a creative service such as industrial design. We have never tried to tie anything down legally, and we have never had a lawsuit.
ritz replies...
I bet we would all be surprised how accommodating people on the other side of a contract can be if they feel everyone was honest, authentic, and tried their hardest. Sometimes things just don't work out and, in those cases, a contract doesn't make life better for anyone. But it still helps keep everyone on the same level... Which is nice.