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May 4, 2007
Mother Nature Designs To Be Totally Unique
That's the law of nature - organic design is so varied, no two objects are identical. Even in clones, you can never get 100% duplication. In Branko Ludovic's latest book entitled "nonobject", he discusses why future consumer electronics should explore and embrace varied organic design.
"Each natural 'product' is a unique specimen; nothing else compares to one, after another, after another. Imagine if the manufacture of consumer electronics afforded such diversity! Imagine if consumers had the pick of an endless array of devices, each one its own distinct shape, size and color while keeping the internal components the same... The state of things now: sameness sits on assembly lines; sameness lives on shelves; sameness is in hands of consumers. Need it be this way - where color is the only distinguishing feature? Why not tackle design in more interesting ways? Rather than considering a product as one of many, diversify the multiple existing molds and consider product a little more freely. Need each be a clone of the other? Why not envision production methodology anew, as a result of more organic processes? Just imagine: a near future where we still make a single product in large volumes, but we do so more randomly, intuitively, eclectically. This way, with advanced manufacturing techniques, consumers are offered more choice within a single product category."
So what do you think? On the surface it seems reasonable. To be able and buy an MP3 player like the Pebble and know that nobody else has the same exact one is tantalizing. Unfortunately our manufacturing processes have developed to master duplication not variation. We would have to develop whole new technologies in order to keep the consumer electronics peripherals market going. For example, an organic case for a Pebble MP3 player might just look like a silicon blob. Slip your Pebble inside and the blob molds to its shape. Fascinating!
via Gizmodo
Posted by tranism at 5:29 PM | Permalink
Comments
And think about mobiles! And many other things that I don't recall... I think variety is the key to improvement of society, even if it is the variety of the design of this or that given product...
[Z]
(God my English is [re]starting to suck)
Posted by: [Z] at May 5, 2007 3:26 AM
But what happens if you see someone with a device that looks better to you than the one you own? And how will you pick them out at the store? Will the store be left with a bunch of devices that no one wants because they don't look 'sexy' enough?
Or will there always be someone to take the ugly ones?
That's the issue as I see it. If every device looks different, some won't be wanted. At least today, you know what to expect. And if someone has a nicer looking one, you can go buy that one.
Philip
Posted by: Philip from Australia at May 6, 2007 1:47 AM