THE BLOG

14
Dec

A victory for design over dogma!

Contrary to most designers. I am not a Mac user. I own a Blackberry and not an I-Phone. I have an HP Desktop and Sony Laptop, not an I-Mac or I-Book. Apple’s products are very impressive, but they have just never been my thing. Personally, I feel my first generation BB Bold may not be as good a phone as the I-Phone 4, of that there is no question, but is an infinitely more stylish and interesting object to own. And I consider the I-Book to be criminally over-priced for a laptop. A premium of 20-30% for a better laptop is understandable. But a doubling of the price to own a computer that is technically no better than its competition and aesthetically only marginally better, is something I would never contemplate. Indeed, the only Apple product I have owned in the last ten years has been the first generation ‘Shuffle’ which accompanies me to this day. So I am not exactly an Apple aficionado

In addition to what is written above, I find the whole ‘Apple being a creative person’s brand’ tiresome. Yes they are in one way. However, the majority of creative people prize individuality ahead of being part of a ‘creative clique.’ The more Apple products become the mainstream, the less distinctive they become. Furthermore, Apple are becoming more and more apolitical in their attempts to fight their corner. Attacks on Adobe regarding Flash for the I-Pad smacks of arrogance and highly political posturing by Steve Jobs. Indeed, Apple’s recent transformation from the anti-establishment brand to the all-conquering force, they now are, just makes them a whole lot less likeable. They remind me of the Kings of Leon in a way. Most of us who initially loved the Kings of Leon devoured the first couple of albums when their music was interesting are now aghast at the money making machine they have become. Finally, if truth be told, from an aesthetic point of view, their products are just not that special. From the I-Pad, to the I-Phone to the I-Pod to the I-Book. They are just boxes. Boxes with radiused edges. Indeed, most of the actual shapes could be modelled with primitive shapes on any 3D CAD programme. Beautifully finished boxes but boxes just the same. They are flattered by the lack of competition stylistically from the majority of their competitors. As I stated earlier, I am not an Apple aficionado, far from it. However, I do absolutely love the way the company has placed design at the heart of its strategy. Putting it at the forefront of the argument, highlighting its relevance. And above all, championing the incredible power that good, innovative design can have in a profit-driven world.

On May the 27th 2010, Apple overtook Microsoft as the biggest tech company on the planet. 10 years ago, it wasn’t even a tenth of the size. It was a significant moment, and I would argue, a victory for design.

I only found out recently that Steve Jobs is actually a designer, by-trade. Not an engineer nor a developer or even a professional entrepreneur as previously thought. But a designer. As a bi-product of his role, he is incredibly knowledgeable in all these fields but his first instincts are to think as a designer and his whole company is an embodiment to the power of design. It comes as no surprise that he is mad about the Beatles. The one music group, above all others, that has married creative genius with unsurpassed commercial triumph. The Beatles were passionate about their music, the creation, their songs. The thrill of the journey. First and foremost, they had an ambition to make great music. The success, wealth and monetary value of their creation was not at the forefront of Paul McCartney’s mind when he wrote ‘yesterday.’ But by concentrating on writing the best song he possibly could on this and all other Beatles songs. He was consequently satisfying the long-term commercial ambitions of their music (whether this was sought after or not is unknown.) Steve Jobs and Apple’s philosophy is identical, by making the most innovative and interesting products in their sector, they are also ensuring immediate and enduring commercial success. By weaving the values of innovation and style into the Apple DNA, they are ensuring that the Apple company succeeds in the long-term. Reminiscent of the Beatles and not some flash in the pan pop star.

But what does Apple do that makes their company so successful and leave its opponents so flatfooted? Principally, it is the whole company’s attitude to design, creativity and innovation. From the top down. This is embodied in a number of ways.

Firstly, they are ruled not by technology but by their own imaginations. Apple strive to make products that are better for their user, better to use, nicer to look at, more sophisticated etc. This fundamental paradigm sets them apart from the majority of their competitors who develop technologies and disparately try to wrap products around them. Apple’s user-centric approach is to principally make a better product for the user and subsequently find or develop the appropriate technology to make that happen. This approach allows for an impressive list of innovations from transparent computer cases on the original I-Mac to the I-Tunes concept that revolutionised music to the Apps store to touch sensitive screens on the first I-Phone and on and on. Apple are consistently one step ahead of the game. The Apple ‘Greatest Hits’ catalogue is bigger than everybody else’s, building huge brand credibility and value. The buzz with Apple products has endured a long time and it seems to be growing all the time.

Secondly, I am sure they benchmark their rivals products, but they don’t slavishly copy them. There will be instances where they have borrowed good features from their rivals, yet built them in cohesively with the rest of the product and only used it if necessary. The majority of the time they are being replicated not replicating. Indeed, it is almost embarrassing to see companies like RIM try to replicate the I-Phone touch-screen with the Storm or Sony mimic the keyboard layout of the I-book on the Vaio and especially Windows replicating so many features of the OS operating system such as the floating taskbar on Windows7. In fact Microsoft, its oldest rival, is a little like a rudderless ship at the moment, all over the place trying to keep up with Google in one respect and Apple in another. Taking me to another significant point of difference. Apple has limited itself to a small number of products. It has only competed in fields where it can. Unlike Microsoft, who by massive diversification, create multiple products badly. Microsoft should be mimicking Apple’s approach in concentrating on what they do best. Not doing what they cant do and then lazily mimicking key product features from their competitors.

Thirdly, innovation. Most recite it, few actually do it. True foresight and innovation allow a company the opportunity to differentiate itself from its competitors. If done well, it can open up massive opportunities for growth and profit. In Apple’s case, the I-Pod with I-Tunes basically stole the record company’s industry from under its nose in the most brutal way possible. Record companies sold Compact Disk’s. Apple, on the other hand revolutionised the music industry. They didn’t give the consumer a CD but an easier way to buy/listen to music putting thousands of CD companies out of business in the meantime. By looking long term at a scenario and by redefining the context, Apple changed the music industry forever. They are now doing the same to the phone market. Indeed, I do genuinely believe that if Apple were ever to make a car that they could sink a good number of our major car companies who are renown for working back to front in the creation of cars. By innovating, and innovating properly, that is making products that are better not different just for the sake of it, but better. Apple has massively increased its business’s profit. Indeed, the music industry example highlights the danger for companies that don’t innovate. They are sitting ducks waiting to be picked off by more savvy competitors from other sectors such as Apple.

Finally, style. In terms of discipline, visual coherence and finish. Apple’s products are one step ahead of its competitors. As I stated earlier, in terms of style. I am not personally a massive fan of the geometric, clean cut and simple Apple aesthetic. Yet as a designer, you cannot fail to be impressed with the way it is executed. The most important part of our jobs from a stylistic sense is to communicate the truth. All artistic figures such as artists and poets obsess about the truth, how to find it, how to portray it well. As a designer, we must communicate the truth and do so effectively, with clarity and consistency. All of Apple’s products achieve this very successfully. Although they are just boxes, their products are always beautifully finished with excellent materials and stunning attention to detail. Furthermore, the discipline to ensure cleanliness and simplicity with all their products is awe-inspiring. Apple have decided that in this age of ’information overload,’ they’ll strive to make very complicated products as minimal, uncluttered and simple as possible. This is their philosophy and this discipline extends to every individual product, their marketing, their website etc. All creating a strong and unequivocal message about what Apple is.

Indeed Apple’s dominance over its rivals in so many ways may make us consider how its rivals can properly compete in the short to long term. Basically, Microsoft, Samsung, Nokia, Sony, etc should copy not what Apple does but the way it does it. They should focus more closely on their own segments without diversifying all over the place to make a quick buck. Innovate and build products that are more desirable to the consumers and finally take advantage of Apple’s new found position as the establishment brand. By designing more distinctive products, that are truer to the company’s values, Apple‘s rivals can steal a march on Apple. Indeed it is an interesting paradox that the ‘creative persons’ brand by achieving such significant sales success may alienate the one group of people that has contributed most to its success. As the commercial world become more infatuated with its new products to the detriment of distinctiveness and individuality. The designers, journalists, photographers, writers etc may go elsewhere. Furthermore, clean cut minimalism may be Apple’s way but it isn’t the only way to design a product. Diluted me2 products just embarrass the status of respectable companies. I would love to see some products that experiment with more organic forms in their surface language or more technologically advanced sci-fi inspired computers. There are hundreds of alternatives to the beautifully finished metal box. But the company must have that universal vision and that can only be provided by the inspiration of a designer.

As It is design, that has been the biggest driver of Apple’s success. Innovation and creativity are synonymous with the designer’s brief but it has only been through empowering designers at the top level that the company has succeeded. The vision is the designer’s one and its important as it is borne of a desire to make great products, not simply make money. Apple is a formidable force because every member of the company from the sales staff to the technicians to the engineers buy into the designer’s vision. By focussing on making great products and not great profits, Apple are laughing all the way to the bank.

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14
Dec

Helping the designer to see clearly!

Everything we do and experience as individuals directly and indirectly influences our decisions, our beliefs and our ideas. Every action, experience and decision helps form a part of what drives us, what motivates us, what excites us and inevitably forms our characters as human beings. However as designers, what is all important. Is our ability to see. Not look, but see! A designer’s vision is their most important asset. Not their ability to draw, or communicate ( however these are very important attributes) It is the ability to see what the rest cannot. To anticipate what is coming. And to be able to understand why something looks right or not and why a product is successful. The winning designer is generally the one who can see the clearest and can act on their enhanced foresight. Now there is no correct way for a designer to form or inform their vision. They can throw themselves into one thing and spend their whole lives in tribute to one form of aesthetic, or a particular subject matter etc. Alternatively, they can constantly experiment and take pleasure and education in more obscure sources. Da Vinci felt he could not communicate the human form until he could properly understand every part of how it worked and functioned, it was his atomical studies that informed his sketches. Endowing him with the ability to communicate the human form in the most truthful way to him. It is this approach which is required by designers who don’t simply want to recreate what has gone before. His study and enhanced knowledge of the human body allowed him to portray the human form in a unique and enduring manner. The character and wisdom of Da Vinci can be seen in his atomical studies and have lasted centuries.

However, when a designer stops looking or studying their field, they are in trouble. It happens in every field. In music, the pop star that begins to live in a bubble tend to lose the initial appreciation of the beauty or angst of life that compelled them to make music of honesty and sincerity that helped them to grow in the first place. The kind of music that people want to hear. It is for this reason that the most genuine artistic expression occur early on in people’s career, afterwards it is quite hard to escape the bubble. Bringing me to life drawing, I have been doing this for a number of years, however, I cannot think of any type of exercise that can help a designer more. In terms of understanding proportion, composition, tone, light and shade. It is among the most challenging subjects to communicate. Furthermore, the skills learned in life drawing are amongst the most difficult for a designer to obtain through normal means. It is like running on the treadmill and somebody turning the speed to 20 kmh. It is hard at first, but you adapt and improve at a much quicker rate than your average weekly jog! Life drawing is turning the treadmill to 20. The results, however, include an increasing ability to see the world in a more interesting/informed manner. To take pleasure in more obscure sources and communicate them in the design process. Basically to see what everybody else is missing. Creating more interesting design work in the process by opening up limitless avenues of creativity. Furthermore, once comfortable with the basics of proportion, composition, shade and so on. You can experiment, find ways to communicate it differently or see it differently. Amazingly important when you are in a creative field.

The designer should be the person, in a project standing, at the top of the mountain being able to see further than everybody while being fully aware what is at their feet. They must provide some form of vision if a product is to succeed. It is reassuring for a designer to know that they can have their heads in the clouds with some mind blowing piece of design work at their disposal, or be able to toe the commercial line and tone it down if needs be. But they must have that inspiration in the first place. The designer with their eyes closed is doomed to stagnation of design quality and will suffer. However, those that avoid the bubble, constantly embrace life, its subject matter and its evolution are likely to continue to create design of great creativity and quality. Life Drawing is a good place to start seeing again…

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09
Dec

Two of a very different kind!!

Forgive me, but recently my mind has been on overload thinking about design and the different approaches. I was recently told to consider my very own personal style and where exactly to fit in, supposedly having a signature style and authorship of your work helps to gain clients. Anyway as my mind wanders and as I consider many things, it became apparent to me that we as human beings are all walking contradictions, I more so than most… You see in the last couple of years I have been left a little flat with various offerings by the mainstream major car studios with their concept cars. Most of them are very worthy and very nicely styled. However, they are more often than not, blinged up production cars that are lowered with bigger wheels and some generally very beautiful details that never see the light of day due to production costs. But in terms of theme, there is an awful lot of me-2 styling. It occurs in most industries and has been around for ever, so it isn’t really a surprise. It is just that there appears to be a lot of Pigeon Detective cars or Scouting For Girls Cars at the moment, they make a pleasant enough noise but they don’t really say anything to anybody. This can be acceptable for production cars but concept cars should be about something or say something. Now, there have been some very notable exceptions.

The Ford Iosis was visually exciting and previewed a quite interesting theme( kinetic design), Mazda’s Nagare was incredibly exciting with its new bio design language and BMW’s Mille Miglia, although not beautiful was incredibly progressive in its use of 3-dimensional form. Furthermore, every year, the Los Angeles Design challenge show throws up some very exciting concepts. The problem I have is that concept cars should be used as an expression of style, a very dramatic expression of style- They should not be derivative of other people’s design language and they should be as close to automotive art as possible. What bothers me is that, in most cases they aren’t, most examples are derived from other brands or design languages creating statements that are incoherent and in some cases banal. However, there are 2 examples that are incredibly noteworthy of praise for the respective statements they make. Both of which I admire greatly, both of which are incredibly different. They were released in 2007, and are both sports saloons from premium brands and both oversaw from two of the most high profile design chiefs in the business. The BMW Concept CS and The Jaguar CXF.

Now the BMW CS, is a car that is characterised by its wild surface language, the energetic mix of positive & negative surfaces that create its body. I love Bangle’s philosophy that we are now in an age where technology allows us to make whichever shape we want, we should no longer be limited by the tools that create the shapes but only by our imagination. His is a philosophy that harks back to an age before objects were produced in massive volumes, before they could be standardised and honed to suit the materials. If you happen to visit any design museum and trace, the evolution of any object like a spoon or cup, you will see that they began as incredibly ornate objects, time and production processes have seen them evolve into much simpler objects with less unnecessary decoration. With the increasing standardisation of the motor car’s proportions, giving the designer less scope to use proportions as a tool to influence the cars shape, Bangle thought it was time that the power returned to the designer to create shapes that inspired him/her to recreate life in the motorcar, rendering it a more artistic and hopefully warmer object. A creative stance now being reproduced by many architects – most notably Zaha Hadid. It is an antique yet revolutionary stance and perfectly in fitting with BMW’s modernist values. You can see that their designers are clearly influence by nature, the human form, scultpure etc… They are seeking to take car design into new territories, to the next generation, it is a bloudy brave thing to do and obviously they don’t get it right every time, but I genuinely think that in 20 -30 years, Bangle’s shapes ( particularily the first Z4) will be remembered as icons and ahead of their time. Anybody that understands beauty and sculpture can appreciate the dynamism of those shapes. And with the CS, it has mostly been taken to the next level, the shapes and sculpture are still bold but they are more refined and with the car’s outrageously wide and low proportions, you have something that is outrageously modern and incredibly dramatic. Something that is unambiguously progressive and a perfect statement of BMW‘s values.

Now the Jaguar CXF, in terms of spirit could not be more different. Whereas the BMW is terribly complex, the Jaguar is simple. And in simplicity, I could not pay a bigger compliment as simplicity tends to require fewer elements, yet fewer elements means that each of those individual elements have to be perfect. To create dynamism through simplicity requires a great deal of skill and discipline, yet the bi product of simplicity is in this case is subtlety and elegance which in itself is rare at this moment. In an age when everybody is shouting louder and louder for attention, the Jaguar becomes one of the few things worth listening too as it isn’t trying too hard. Whereas the BMW has a feast of lines, curves, surface changes, each individually turning up the volume level to 11. The Jaguar has only the minimal amount of swage lines, details and body creases. Yet each one is so perfectly controlled and expertly executed that it endows the car with a similar level of dynamism yet with an economy and warmth that is captivating and oh so so British, but Britishness at its best. I do have to liken it a little bit to the Aston Martins that Ian Callum created in the 90‘s. They weren’t overly bold in concept yet impeccable in execution. Beautiful proportions + beautiful surfaces + beautiful details and all complimentary of the overall design balance tends to equal eye wateringly beautiful cars. The CXF is rather similar, beautiful surfaces, beautiful details and on and on. Again, what I love most about the CXF is, like the Aston Martins, they have taken a century of our craft and rather than resorting to retro design, which is oh so easy and tempting, they have taken it and perfected it. The CXF looks perfectly modern yet it doesn’t leave you cold like other modern products can do. And this is where the designers should be congratulated. It is an incredibly difficult thing to do, to make a statement that is modern yet ultimately doesn’t alienate the public. This is exactly what Jaguar has done.

Now what puzzled me initially about how can I be in love with two cars that are so different at the same time – either you like positive surfaces that are perfected and crafted in a way that is honest to the materials or you want to take metal and shape and bend it in the most outrageous way possible. Well you see, if you love design in any form, you can appreciate both of these cars as they are true to themselves and are both very pure forms of expressions. I have no doubt that the BMW designers weren’t thinking about Jaguars or Aston Martins for that matter when creating the CS, and likewise the Jaguar designers weren’t thinking of flame-surfacing when doing the CXF. And you have two designers, Ian Callum and Chris Bangle – who are worlds apart in their respective design philosophies yet- are to be equally respected. One of them is responsible for taking his experience and know how to perfect his craft and the other is more concerned about the bigger picture to redefine his craft. And I believe, time and place is so important. I personally love Zaha Hadid’s architecture,

the performing centre in Abu Dhabi is incredible, what an achievement, what a statement. But after a while, after you have seen so many buildings that are of a similar vein, they can actually begin to leave you a little cold. You then really crave a return to planet earth and architecture that is a little more simple, warm, honest. You begin to re-appreciate the simplicity of one curve, like that on Wembley Stadium. That is my feelings on both of these cars. There is a time and place for both of them and for me, personally, they are both perfect as their statements are honest. I think both cars are representative of design at its highest levels, what bothers me more is the number of followers, those that don’t quite know what they are doing and end up jumping on whatever is hot at that particular moment, the me2 cars, of which there are many!

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09
Dec

Hope & Optimism

Hello everybody, welcome to my blog!

I have got tonnes of different ideas and theories about many things so I thought it would be good to start jotting them down. The majority of my posts will be about car design as this is my profession as well as my passion but from time to time, I will comment on other things that grab my attention from music to politics and society in general.

I know we are in very very hard times but we must be brave and consider the future. I was watching Richard Seymour, coincidentally, give a speech at my old uni in Coventry.

What struck me most about his lecture was that it dealt with optimism. And I found myself continuously nodding my head in agreement. I couldn’t agree more!! Now is the time when new ideas will flourish because old ones have had their day!! now is the time that entrepreneurs and creatives will be given a voice as the bureaucrats and law makers before just weren’t listening!! Now is the time that people can appreciate the things in life that they hadn’t noticed due to the desire to endlessly chase material gains!! Now is the time to look for a better future and be optimistic! Change can be painful sometimes but it is always necessary and I feel as individuals we must always look to the future with optimism and approach life in this way!

It is terribly sad to see a company like GM suffer and my heart genuinely goes out to all those people in Detroit who will lose their jobs because of decisions made by men with much greater salaries, who have failed!! And they have definitely failed. Of that, let their be no doubt! For example, every year, at every degree show around the world, new and interesting solutions to modernise our cars and transport gets presented, some are better than others, some more feasible than others but time and time again, this type of blue sky thinking was overlooked not just by the big three but by most of the major OE M’s as a whole. They thought that heavy trucks, powerful saloons and massive SUV’s would sell in huge volumes forever! As a designer, incremental changes in brand perception was the most adventurous things we got to see! Dinosaur thinking by dinosaur companies has seen them face their extinction.However, what gives me hope is that these companies now must change and change fast and the ideas that were previously overlooked before are now being desperately sought after to repair the damage. This is where we might see exciting products and ideas. Companies like Local Motors who are trying to do something brave, wonderful and new, might prosper in this new age and I think we should all be excited about Local Motors vision and companies of a like minded status.

http://www.local-motors.com/

With every down side their is a positive one and my hope is that the American government like others around the globe will support companies like Local Motors in the tax system to allow them to prosper with their new products and methodologies. This way, maybe the poor guy with ten years experience spraying Chevy trucks who has lost his job through no fault of his own will soon be able to find employment for another successful and new American company!!

Benedetto Bordone

PS, for further reason to believe in hope and optimism. Weren’t Brawn GP (then Honda) nearly dead in the water only three months ago, look at them now!!

08
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Dec