Topic 6.1 - characteristics of classic design

Image

• Image makes a classic design instantly recognisable. It has an external form that provokes emotional reactions from its viewers or users.
• Status and culture
  • Classic designs can increase in value and can project a certain status as they become more desirable.
  • A classic design can indicate the status or social position of an individual.
    • Increase in the perceived status of a person.
    • Connections with the elite class
    • Conveys a feeling of satisfaction...the feeling of owning a rarity.
  • Classic designs often reflect cultural influences and mark transition points within a particular culture.
    • The culture of concern may be national, religious or a sub-culture, such as a particular youth culture or movement.

Obsolescence

• This is the stage in a product life cycle where the product is no longer needed even though it functions as well as it did when first manufactured. Classic designs tend to transcend obsolescence and become desired objects long after they have ceased to be manufactured.

Mass production

• Mass production contributes to a product reaching classic design status. Mass-production makes designs easily available and affordable.

Ubiquitous and omnipresent

• A classic design is ubiquitous or omnipresent by becoming a part of our daily life. They persist in the marketplace despite other newer or even better alternatives. Their iconic status makes them the preferred choice.

Dominant design

• A dominant design contains features that are recognized as essential by a majority of manufacturers and purchasers.
• Dominant design can be difficult to change:
  • Users may be satisfied with the design and not see any advantage in switching to a different one.
  • If a company decides to re-design its classic design, if could risk users not adopting it. People will not have the same emotional attachment to the new design as they did to the old classic design.

Topic 6.2 - classic design, function & form

Function

• The way a product works.
• In classic designs, a product can be judged on how well it fulfills the task that it is designed for.

Form

• The three-dimensional space that a product takes up
• In classic design, form relates to the shape of a product and the aesthetic qualities that the shape gives.