What do you see?
7:36 pm on the 28th of August, 2007I’m curious, I ask questions, I look at things and I wonder. I’m trying to get my 4th year Product Design class to do similarly.
Today we were looking at where they might get some inspiration for a radio they are designing. One of my favourite designers for getting conversations started is Phillipe Starck. The man is, quite simply, out of his tree. His work always elicits opinion. One thing I tried today towards the end of the lesson – out of my own curiosity – was to show them a picture of Starck’s Torche radio and get them to write down without discussion where they thought he might have got his ideas from.
I’d like to try it again here: without looking through any comments take a look at the image below and then try to think of an object, shape, motion, idea, or anything else that you think Starck might have had in mind when designing this radio. Once you have something skip to the bottom add a comment saying what you think his inspiration might have been. Then you can have a look to see what others saw in it – I expect most of you will have different answers.
In other news I’m a little disappointed that foolfillment didn’t make it into a list of 45 great blog designs – they must just not know about me yet 
(via Ewan’s delicious – everything I talk about at the moment seems to have come from there).
August 28th, 2007 at 8:01 pm on the 28th of August, 2007
Grammerphone, torch (though everyone must have said that). Drum (if it was standing upright) satalite dish, speaker. The shape itself seems to represent volume/projecting noise forward. Also the way it is lying on its side makes it seem a fun/playful object, ie it can roll around. Trumpet.
This to me does not seem to be an organic object. I can’t think of anything from nature that could have influenced this – can you?
August 28th, 2007 at 8:03 pm on the 28th of August, 2007
Cymbal. I just realised that most of these things are musical instruments that make sound! Perfect imagery for a radio!
August 28th, 2007 at 8:24 pm on the 28th of August, 2007
Loudhailer. That’s all.
August 28th, 2007 at 10:17 pm on the 28th of August, 2007
Stuart
Well done with getting the NV I am sure it will be fine.
The radio has always reminded me of Maracas’.
When it comes to making pupils think I love the Ross Lovegrove talk from TED. Just download it and edit the swear word down a bit.
David Kelley’s Human centered design is another good one
The Fantasy Design website is useful for lower school imho
Ian
August 29th, 2007 at 2:49 pm on the 29th of August, 2007
I immediately thought it was an African drum and only realised it was a radio when I read your post. I suspect there’s a psychology PhD waiting to be written on people’s view of this device. Is it a kind of 3D Rorschach test?
August 29th, 2007 at 8:35 pm on the 29th of August, 2007
I suppose it’s a Rorcharch test in a way, there are no right answers and it might reveal a little about your design instincts and more.
It seems I’m the only one who sees anything natural, I thought it was so obvious. Does nobody else see a flower opening to face the sun? Or a stone dropping into water, the instant just before the meniscus bursts?
August 29th, 2007 at 9:15 pm on the 29th of August, 2007
I saw a flower, and also an ear trumpet. The ear trumpet came fisrt. The curves going up to the outer edge of the larger section are definitely flower petal like.
Now to see what other people saw.
August 30th, 2007 at 7:33 am on the 30th of August, 2007
Saw a bicycle horn, predominantly – and the related bicycle-handle.
Then, I thought of a 50s-style music video which might have a happy bunch of kids riding on their bicycles down the street singing along to music. (Strange association?)
Trackbacks/Pings
September 8th, 2007 at 4:40 pm on the 8th of September, 2007
November 12th, 2007 at 10:15 pm on the 12th of November, 2007
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