Design
Some background
As a mechanical engineer I get involved with design. Its has been a long time since I was let loose on CAD software for work, and the designs I did were solely to met a functional requirement. The thing needs to perform some function or other and that might also include a space for it to fit in and constraints about how to make it and then transport it to where it has to go. This is all a bit err mechanical. It is functional. But what about form?
Form rarely features in an industrial setting in the same way it does with product design. Yes there are ergonomics to consider, human factors and maintenance. But these follow a series of rules. Green for ‘Go’ and red for ‘Stop, In the UK we have PUWER (Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations) tend to dominate. These regulations are there to keep people from harm.
But what about Form?
Many of todays consumer products are carefully designed but are generally evolutionary rather than evolutionary. It could be argued that there are no truly revolutionary designs. There may be leaps but stuff that gets put on a pedestal generally doesn’t warrant the praise. Separating marketing from design isn’t always easy. Especially with consumer electronics. So I prefer to look elsewhere for inspiration.
A trip to the Design Museum in 2023 had an exhibition that included a load of consumer electronics and electrical labour saving devices. I was really surprised at how many I had owned or had been in my house when I grew up. A thread formed.
Some brands appeared more than once in the list of owned products. One was Sony, but I did grow up with the advent of the Walkman. The other was Braun.
When I went home I walked round my house and my 85 year old parents homes. They were littered with Braun products. Clocks, food mixers, blenders, coffee machines and an old electric razor.
What draws these together is one designer, Dieter Rams and his 10 ‘rules’. They are:
Good design is innovative The possibilities for innovation are not, by any means, exhausted. Technological development is always offering new opportunities for innovative design. But innovative design always develops in tandem with innovative technology, and can never be an end in itself.
Good design makes a product useful A product is bought to be used. It has to satisfy certain criteria, not only functional, but also psychological and aesthetic. Good design emphasises the usefulness of a product whilst disregarding anything that could possibly detract from it.
Good design is aesthetic The aesthetic quality of a product is integral to its usefulness because products we use every day affect our person and our well-being. But only well-executed objects can be beautiful.
Good design makes a product understandable It clarifies the products structure. Better still, it can make the product talk. At best, it is self-explanatory.
Good design is unobtrusive Products fulfilling a purpose are like tools. They are neither decorative objects nor works of art. Their design should therefore be both neutral and restrained, to leave room for the users self-expression.
Good design is honest It does not make a product more innovative, powerful or valuable than it really is. It does not attempt to manipulate the consumer with promises that cannot be kept.
Good design is long-lasting It avoids being fashionable and therefore never appears antiquated. Unlike fashionable design, it lasts many years - even in today’s throwaway society.
Good design is thorough down to the last detail Nothing must be arbitrary or left to chance. Care and accuracy in the design process show respect towards the consumer.
Good design is environmentally friendly Design makes an important contribution to the preservation of the environment. It conserves resources and minimises physical and visual pollution throughout the lifecycle of the product.
Good design is as little design as possible Less, but better - because it concentrates on the essential aspects, and the products are not burdened with non-essentials. Back to purity, back to simplicity.
You can find out a whole load more about Dieter Rams at his foundation and the fundamentals of his design in Less is Better (Weniger, aber besser)
Colours and Fonts
Ok so I’m no Dieter Rams, but I can use his principles and pallette. I don’t have his brain or resources, so I’ll do things my way and learn. The colours are easy and a quick dip into your favourite search tool will give you loads. I bet you come across these done by Chad Ashley
Some items are really nice to look at and its unlikely that I’ll ever get to DR standards, but I can use colours that meet his principles. These are commonly featured colours and some fonts I like to use for labels and things
Fonts are a pretty personal choice and you can spend hours looking for the right one and may never ind it. These are the ones I go to first off then maybe change my mind later. If you want to go full Braun then try this:
The reality is that copying isn’t really what I want to do so whilst it is great to see how others do stuff. Working through a preference for me is always going to vbe a compromise. Paying for a bespoke font isn’t going to be an option, and trying to get close to an existing one feels cheap. So use use ethos but not the product.
Design Tools - CAD
Simple, Browser based and free for public designs. Of which all of mine are.