Where can minimalism design go now?

Is this the potential future of pure design function over aesthetics sensibilities

Apple is leading the pack when it comes to the industrial design but I’m wondering where they can really take the design direction next? The ipod has become a super thin piece of aluminium…very sleek, powerful and caters to absolute usability but how can you change the design now? They’ve continuously stripped away elements down to the core aesthetics and I don’t see how they can improve on it aesthetics-wise. Johnathan Ives must be sitting around twittering his thumbs. I’ve seen this is design approach across multiple markets. Furniture design like that from IKEA emphasises minimal aesthetics and pure functional form but doesn’t it just seem a little sterile? Minimal font usage on simple stark backgrounds, commercials with just a white background? So is good design merely a result of great useability or do we run the risk of creating boring sterile environments and products akin to living in the land of THX 1138 as seen above? When I visit antique stores and look at the old advertising and wood crafted furniture there’s a totally different type of care and craftsmanship that went into these products. hand drawn, painted intricate designs that obviously took tremendous amount of time and care. This level of detail and intricacy in design we just don’t see anymore today when you can just use a computer and crank out something. While I definitely appreciate the pure design forms and simple usability focus at the same time miss a time when craftsmanship and artistic expression was more in focus. It could just be the artist in me.

Reasons to Decline a Web Design Gig

I saw this article and swear I’ve hear almost all of them from some potential clients at one time or another.

http://www.webmonkey.com/blog/10_Reasons_to_Politely_Decline_a_Web_Design_Gig

my favorites are “He wants to make sure you can build his site so it will show up first on Google.” and “He explains that you will be responsible to his organization’s “website committee.” design by committee..or as I like to call it the 3rd level of Hell.

You shouldn’t put all your eggs in one basket…but that doesn’t mean you need more eggs either.

Today, the Sci-Fi channel has formerly changed it’s name to ScyFy so that it can be “more reflective of a diverse amount of programming outside of science fiction”…which apparently includes Wrestling matches and Joan of Arcadia re-runs from CBS? Pizza Hut has also changed it’s name on some of their restaurants and boxes to “The Hut” never mind the potentially hilarious Star Wars references (see photo above.) Pizza Hut had a similar reasoning to showcase it’s wider selections of foods outside of pizza and try to capture a hipper larger audience. By hip they plan to include showing “Wheel of Fortune” of big screen TV’s in some of their new locations. I kid you not. You get the sense some marketing geniuses all sat in a room and were like “We got to change something we got to be cool like those Twitter people. Sports bars are big…hey how can we big like them? and how can we beat Subway?”

Here’s a better idea. Concentrate on what you do well and do it even better than before and worry less about grabbing at new trends or trying to kill your competition. Most of all don’t become medicore at a bunch of things thus diluting your brand with your customers.

When Apple was in the gutter in the mid 90’s and was literally trying everything including the clone market to grow their market share they lost sight of what they did really well. They lost sight of their culture and what made them stand apart from the other countless biege boxes. Steve Jobs came in and cut their product line to just a few key products and decided they were going to do these really well and get better and concentrate on amazing useable interfaces and making technology easier to use. On that strong foundation they grew into other markets (music, video) and applied those philosophies thoughtfully growing it from their core competencies. Companies that feel like they have to diverge radically from there core products or continue switching their focus run the risk of diluting their brand efforts, alienating their customers, confusing potential new customers. In the end it can result in mediocre products and continual business lost. What makes your business great? What separates it from the crowd? Stand on those building blocks and work from there and stop trying to straddle the middle of the road thinking you’re playing it safe.

“Man walk on road. Walk left side, safe. Walk right side, safe. Walk down middle, sooner or later, get squished.” – Mr. Miyagi, Karate Kid

UPDATED!!! Just found out Radio Shack is actually changing it’s name to “THE SHACK!” Well Shaq O’Neal it’s time for a new round of useless commercials.