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It seems everything just keeps getting faster and more high-tech. Today we can use our cell phones to access email, IM our BFF, take pictures, surf the web, shop online, store and play our music – I have even heard that they make actual phone calls. Sometimes I wonder if things are all moving a bit too fast for us mere humans to actually adapt. Then, a few weeks ago, I read an article in The New York Times predicting the eventual demise of books. Now, that just seems like a bit too much. Books are one of the great design ideas of all time. Yes – design. I just read Ideas, a great book by Peter Watson. It traces the origin (design) of speech, written words, numbers and all sorts of very important developments that were designed by early humans to help them live.
 Ideas and its companion, The Modern Mind, clarify how much design enriches our lives and how far the design principle extends beyond just objects. So many things we use are so integrated into our daily lives that we've come to take them for granted – small things like zippers, buttons and paper clips – yet each one was a revolutionary advance when it was first designed, and each one has stood the test of time. The beauty of these objects is in their simplicity. Each of them simply, efficiently and honestly does exactly what it was intended to do.
Being the curious sort, I looked to other publications to further explain how these now-anonymous designs came into being and, perhaps, even to learn whom we have to thank in the first place. The search (yes, I used Google on my BlackBerry) led me to The Origin of Things edited by Thimo te Duits. It's a fun and easy read, and very informative. I found out a lot about simple objects that we interact with every day. The paper clip, for example, was designed circa 1899. It has remained largely unchanged for 108 years and the original designer is unknown.
 The next book I was drawn to was Quintessence: The Quality of Having It. First published in 1983 and recently re-released, this wonderful book is a compilation of objects that the authors, Betty Cornfeld and Owen Edwards, believe represent the purest essence of their purpose. It covers everything from Hershey's Kisses to the Volkswagen Beetle.
The result of all this searching for simplicity and efficiency was a realization that many of these objects are actually tools – tools that we use every day to make our lives more productive, more fulfilling or just plain uncomplicated. They are tools for living, the comfort food of objects. Le Corbusier once described a building as a machine for living, so I guess it follows logically that this machine needs the proper tools to keep it functioning.
 After all this research, I came full circle. It seems to me that books and publications (when they take the time to actually inform or instruct or just entertain) are worth saving. There is a certain tactile joy to holding a book and turning the pages, or to reading the Sunday New York Times with a good cup of coffee. These simple joys may be a connection to our very humanity on some level. So I, for one, am not prepared to accept their ultimate demise, and will fight to keep it from happening. If we do not continue to encourage people to read and write, we may wind up in a world where everyone is LOL with their BFF about tngs tht R realy NBD.
We would love to know what you think – and what simple objects you find joy in using.
Well, TAFN.
Ray Brunner
CEO
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Young Moderns, Circa 1961
We were bowled over by the number of responses we received about our October 10 Design Notes, featuring Jens Risom. Thank you, and keep sending us your comments. Our most recent catalog cover is the Playboy photograph from 1961.
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12 New Colors from American Leather
Order by November 6 to receive free shipping on our new Custom Leather colors for some of our most popular collections.
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The Reign in Spain
Since its publication 30 years ago, more than a million copies of 1080 Recipes have been sold in Spain. Phaidon Press has launched the English version with over 200 illustrations by our friend Javier Mariscal. Which Spanish region is known for its Celtic-influenced cuisine, like meat and fish pies? The first eight people to submit correct answers to us will be sent free copies of 1080 Recipes.
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Studio Events:
From Gadgets and Gear to Ergonomic Greatness
11.8.07
Location: Portland
Meet Tracy Wymer, Knoll® director of research, strategy and media, and participate in a hands-on industrial design challenge.
Musings on Quantum Style: a Virtual Fashion Show
11.9.07
Location: Adams Morgan
Join DWR and our host, the Embassy of Switzerland, for "High-Fashion Design in Equations." |
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