Art

“Things which are different in order simply to be different are seldom better, but that which is made to be better is almost always different.”

When you think of great designers, most people would not typically think of Braun. Yes, Braun the same company that is known for making electric shavers, is also a leader in industrial design because of Dieter Rams. Widely regarded as one of the most influential industrial designers of our time, Dieter Rams produced iconic works and innovative ideas (in particular his advocacy for “less but better” design) that have proved seminal for our contemporary design culture and modern art. For more than 40 years, Rams was the lead designer for the German household appliance company Braun. He has also been the active designer for German furniture company Vitsœ since his start there in 1959.

Back in the early 1980s, Dieter Rams was becoming increasingly concerned by the state of the world around him – “an impenetrable confusion of forms, colours and noises.” Aware that he was a significant contributor to that world, he asked himself an important question: is my design good design?

As good design cannot be measured in a finite way, he set about expressing the ten most important principles for what he considered was good design. (Sometimes they are referred as the ‘Ten commandments’ of design.)

Here they are.

 1. GOOD DESIGN IS INNOVATIVE
The possibilities for innovation are not, by any means, exhausted. Technological development is always offering new opportunities for innovative design. But innovative design always develops in tandem with innovative technology, and can never be an end in itself.

 2. GOOD DESIGN MAKES A PRODUCT USEFUL
A product is bought to be used. It has to satisfy certain criteria, not only functional, but also psychological and aesthetic. Good design emphasizes the usefulness of a product whilst disregarding anything that could possibly detract from it.

 3. GOOD DESIGN IS AESTHETIC
The aesthetic quality of a product is integral to its usefulness because products we use every day affect our person and our well-being. But only well-executed objects can be beautiful.

 4. GOOD DESIGN MAKES A PRODUCT UNDERSTANDABLE
It clarifies the product’s structure. Better still, it can make the product talk. At best, it is self-explanatory.

 5. GOOD DESIGN IS UN-OBSTRUCTIVE
Products fulfilling a purpose are like tools. They are neither decorative objects nor works of art. Their design should therefore be both neutral and restrained, to leave room for the user’s self-expression.

 6. GOOD DESIGN IS HONEST
It does not make a product more innovative, powerful or valuable than it really is. It does not attempt to manipulate the consumer with promises that cannot be kept.

 7. GOOD DESIGN IS LONG-LASTING
It avoids being fashionable and therefore never appears antiquated. Unlike fashionable design, it lasts many years – even in today’s throwaway society.

 8. GOOD DESIGN IS THOROUGH, DOWN TO THE LAST DETAIL
Nothing must be arbitrary or left to chance. Care and accuracy in the design process show respect towards the consumer.

 9. GOOD DESIGN IS ENVIRONMENTALLY-FRIENDLY
Design makes an important contribution to the preservation of the environment. It conserves resources and minimises physical and visual pollution throughout the lifecycle of the product.

 10. GOOD DESIGN IS AS LITTLE DESIGN AS POSSIBLE
Less, but better – because it concentrates on the essential aspects, and the products are not burdened with non-essentials.
Back to purity, back to simplicity.

“The Strength of Pure”

Road inc. is a dope iPad application that functions as an interactive coffee table book of classic cars and other baller ass vehicles from the likes of Porsche, Bugatti, McLaren, BMW, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Aston Martin, and Alfa Romeo. I wouldn’t consider myself that much of a car enthusiast, but this video made me want to get it. Not only does it offer 360 views of all these dope cars, it also gives specs, maintenance manuels, engine samples, press releases, factory schematics, and period advertisements that I thought were the dopest. The application has a great sense of style and design, from the interface to the layout and text. It goes for $9.99 on the app store but was recently on sale for Christmas for $0.99. I’d say it’s worth it if you have an iTunes gift card, super into cars, or just want to have a dope app to show off to your friends who dont have iPads.

Lucky from Ever Ready Tattoo and APB threw this dope skateboard art auction at The Manifest in Chinatown. Proceeds from the show went to the Kenny Brimer Memorial Skatepark Association, an organization dedicated to creating and promoting new skate spots throughout Hawai’i. I know it’s kind of late, but finally back on my blog game and I had to throw up a post about this event because I thought it was really dope. Basically, a bunch of different artists used skatedecks as there canvases and created pieces of art using paint, pens, and some even carved the decks. I even saw some skate decks by the homies DJ Delve and DJ Sssolution on auction for the cause.

Photos courtesy of Riana Stellburg of ContrastMag

BONUS: If you are from Oahu, you probably already know who Lucky Olelo is, but if not:
LUCKY

Lucky from Supreme Video Productions on Vimeo.

OUT OF OUR TREE from Suge White on Vimeo.

SF zine by Suge White. Titty City.

I made this, it’s cool, enjoy it…

Muh-fuckin’ crazy paper thing…