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- Keechdesign News (12)
- Design Classics (5)
- Opinion (9)
- Creative Report (12)
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Design Classics No.1
Posted by: David Keech on 16th Oct 2007 in Design Classics
The Early iPod
Am I really the only person who still uses the original iPod? Well technically it?s a ?2nd generation? one, because I bought it at the end of 2002.
To the Nano-toting youth of today, this iPod looks about the size of a house brick ? a real uncle?s gadget. But it still sounds and feels good, works pretty well (though like any ?classic? can be moody) and is always a talking point. I?ve lost count of the number of times I?ve used it in presentations when talking about good design, always to nods of agreement.
Like many iconic shapes, from violins to the Parthenon, the iPod makes solid use of the laws of harmonic proportion, its frontal rectangle being 1:1.618, which is why to put it more simply, it looks good.
The spinning scroll wheel as opposed to the solid state one added later has always divided opinions. I?ve enjoyed it, especially when combined with that satisfying click that is timed in with the wheel motion.
Which brings us onto tactility. A crisply angled edge on the front side and a smoothly radiussed one on the back was another key feature. Highly informative, i.e. front side and back side are described through touch alone, and at the same time ?interesting? for the human hand, in the same way that natural objects such as shells and pebbles are.
In terms of finish, the mirror-polished back surface might at first have seemed a surprising choice. Susceptible to scratches ? yes, but it also gave the feeling of high quality so essential to the product?s success.
Finally, to become a design classic, an object has to go far beyond a mere product. It must epitomize an era, create its own mythology or even start a revolution. Certainly the iPod ticks those boxes, but the fact that for $15 you can buy a nicely packaged bottle of "iDrops" from the Podshop (http://www.podshop.com) that will lovingly clean, polish and protect the surface of your Pod is proof enough.
Posted by: David Keech on 16th Oct 2007 in Design Classics
The Early iPod
Am I really the only person who still uses the original iPod? Well technically it?s a ?2nd generation? one, because I bought it at the end of 2002.
To the Nano-toting youth of today, this iPod looks about the size of a house brick ? a real uncle?s gadget. But it still sounds and feels good, works pretty well (though like any ?classic? can be moody) and is always a talking point. I?ve lost count of the number of times I?ve used it in presentations when talking about good design, always to nods of agreement.
Like many iconic shapes, from violins to the Parthenon, the iPod makes solid use of the laws of harmonic proportion, its frontal rectangle being 1:1.618, which is why to put it more simply, it looks good.
The spinning scroll wheel as opposed to the solid state one added later has always divided opinions. I?ve enjoyed it, especially when combined with that satisfying click that is timed in with the wheel motion.
Which brings us onto tactility. A crisply angled edge on the front side and a smoothly radiussed one on the back was another key feature. Highly informative, i.e. front side and back side are described through touch alone, and at the same time ?interesting? for the human hand, in the same way that natural objects such as shells and pebbles are.
In terms of finish, the mirror-polished back surface might at first have seemed a surprising choice. Susceptible to scratches ? yes, but it also gave the feeling of high quality so essential to the product?s success.
Finally, to become a design classic, an object has to go far beyond a mere product. It must epitomize an era, create its own mythology or even start a revolution. Certainly the iPod ticks those boxes, but the fact that for $15 you can buy a nicely packaged bottle of "iDrops" from the Podshop (http://www.podshop.com) that will lovingly clean, polish and protect the surface of your Pod is proof enough.
