6.1 CHARACTERISTICS OF CLASSIC DESIGN
Classic Design – A product that serves as a standard of its me, that has been manufactured
industrially and has meless appeal
• Regardless in what year or me period it s ll remains at a high standard.
• A classic design is instantly recognizable and will provoke di erent emo onal responses.
• O en referred to as“iconic”
• widely imitated, usually with cheaper versions
Characteris cs of a Classic Design
Image - image relates to the instantly recognizable aesthe cs of a par cular product
• image makes a classic design instantly recognizable and provokes emo onal reac ons
• highly recognizable aesthe cs
• representa on of an external form
• evokes emo onal a achment
Status - Products considered as classic designs o en increase in value and can project a certain
status as they become more desirable.
• A classic design can indicate the status (social posi on) of an individual.
◦ Increase in the perceived status of a person.
◦ Connec ons with the elite class
◦ Conveys a feeling of sa sfac on.
◦ A feeling of owning a rarity.
Culture - They o en re ect cultural in uences and mark transi on points within a par cular
culture.
• It may be a na onal or religious cultural in uence.
◦ Vegemite is strongly associated with Australia. Even the adver sing Jingle is a cultural
icon.
• It may concern a sub-culture such as a par cular youth culture or movement.
◦ For example UK Skinheads’ footwear were Dr Martens boots with its yellow s tching.
Evokes
emo onal a achment
•
◦ Nostalgia
◦ A sense of belonging
Obsolescence - the stage in a product life cycle where the product is no longer needed even
though it func ons as well as it did when rst manufactured.
• something becoming obsolete or of no longer any use (mobile phone)
• A classic design de es (transcend) obsolescence
• It is meless
• It is s ll a desired object long a er they have ceased to be manufactured.
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Mass produc on - contributes to a product reaching classic design status such as the VW shown
below or the Bic Pen.
• being mass-produced spanning decades leads to it being ever present or omnipresent.
• Mass-produc on made cars a ordable (due to economies of scale) so it sold well.
• Mass-produc on made them easily available.
• Its simple design (and mechanics) lent itself to mass produc on.
Ubiquitous - a product that is ubiquitous is one that can be found almost everywhere (mobile
phone)
Omnipresence - a product that is omnipresent has existed and been in circula on for a long me
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Dominant Design - The design contains those implicit features of a product that are recognized as
essen al by a majority of manufacturers and purchasers. (Coco-cola bo le and red color)
• Classic designs that are also dominant designs in the marketplace are di cult to change
them.
◦ because it is popular or omni-presencent
◦ those that have de ed obsolescence and have been a round a long me tend to have
emo onal a achments
◦ Nostalgia
◦ Dominant design has been around a while, if it changes not so recognisable and the
company could risk pro ts
6.2 CLASSIC DESIGN, FUNCTION AND FORM
Form vs Func on
Form – Also considered as the three-dimensional space that a product takes up, form relates to the
shape of a product and the aesthe c quali es that the shape gives.
Func on – Products can be considered classic designs based on how well they ful ll the task that
they have been designed for.
Not all classic designs are based on form or aesthe cs as a main reason for the design or product.
For example, the designers of many early examples of mass produc on motor cars that are now
considered “classics” were more interested in func on than form.
Prac cal Func on vs Psychological Func on
Prac cal func on is mostly concerned with criteria related to the performance of the product, such
as dimensions, weight, ease of use.
Psychological func on is mostly concerned with the di erent emo onal reac ons or
a achments people have with products such as mobile phones or their favorite piece of apparel.
Three aspects of interac on
• assembling the object either during manufacture or at home (self-assembly)
• using it
• repairing or maintaining it.
Con ict and Compromise
• Con ict and compromise can occur during the development of the product.
• Teams of specialists comprising of ergonomists, electrical engineers, materials engineers and
product designers are involved in the development of industrial designed products.
• Form over func on may be an important aspect of the design for some members while for
others it maybe func on over form.
Retro-Styling - design that uses the form and decora on from a par cular period of me and/or
style.
• classic image with modern-day technologies.
• Retro-styling a new product needs to respect and understand the original form and
underlying structure before making changes
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Art Deco (Retro-Styling)
• Art Deco Style (1930’s) has its roots form the exclusive hand-made French decora ve arts
(1920’s).
• It became incredibly popular decades later due to mass produc on of products using
di erent materials, such as metals, plas c and glass.
• Being a decora ve style it was easily added to many products (lamps, furniture) or surfaces
(e.g. buildings)
• It was used widely in Architecture and ligh ng.