“…and lead us not into temptation”.
Let’s face it: all the best designers are sinners.
Some people say that ‘Design creates solution’, like it is some kind of mantra. Solutions for whom? Are we talking about real problems or is it just the will to produce and buy more things? We would like to write about another (and more realistic) point of view: design creates problems.
Adam and Eve lived happily in Paradise, they had it all. Until desi… sorry… the devil seduced her to eat an apple. Did she need it? No, of course not. But she wanted it, she desired it, even if it were just a bite. Let’s bring this myth to a today’s example: you don’t truly need an Apple product, but thousands of people deeply crave it, including us. Steve Jobs perfectly knew that; or do you think it is just a coincidence the famous brand logo is the bitten fruit from the Garden of Eden?
Problems. Because people start not only to want something, but to feel like they absolutely need it, willing to sacrifice themselves in order to fall for the temptation and obtain it, for their unique and intangible reasons.
Speaking of sinning, let’s compare design with sex. Saying that the only reason to start a relationship is breeding, makes as much sense as saying that Design’s function is merely solving everyday problems. Indeed it does and so does a maid, an architect, a dentist and so on. Some say our society wants more than just problems being solved: we want to feel passionate and alive.
Allow us to write that everything that is done with love is better. Perhaps people should think about the designing process the same way they think about making love. It is not something you do alone and you must enjoy the process as much as you fancy the final result.
Maybe our world doesn’t need more products, but it does need good stories, poetry and romance – and an object can evoke that.
Amen.
