Design Prophecy & Occasional Reflections
A Design Genetic Perspective on...everything.
Chaos in order
Normally asymmetry is seen as chaotic and hence something negative, at least in the western world. Probably due to the fact that it's a state we can't control. We all know the negative side of chaos, and that kind of personality, but we tend to forget the positive ones. One is that It's the moment where creativity is at its highest level. Chaos is when elements are breaking free from strict forms and structures to find new ones. Another is that we are closer to the intangible dimension we all are a part of. And don't forget, chaos or not depends on the perspective.
Opel Insignia
Opel Insigna is an interesting new car from Opel. It was a long time ago I was attracted by something from Opel. But this has some nice emotional movements. It's very solid and bulgy, yet so compact and smooth. I like how they slide by details of the car in the Flash movie and by that portraying quality. I think of one of those dark gray, warm, and smooth stones you get on your spine at the spa. Also the silence and tranquility in the discrete but emotional design makes me think of the spa. Do you see what I mean? Maybe that's why I like it.
Copenhagen Consert Hall
The new Copenhagen Concert Hall by Jean Nouvel is ready. He has a very interesting architectural design language with different pieces fitting together like a puzzle, with the Arab World Institute in Paris as the ultimate puzzle. He is very linear in his language even though it has a typical French sophistication to it. Definitely more suitable for Architecture than Industrial Design, as you can tell from his products. At a first glance the new concert hall doesn't say that much to me. I have to go there and take a closer look.
Nouvel is a good example of a geometrical design, which stands for the Bound and Rational Personality holding things together. At the same time he has the ability to break up the linearity in the geometry and create an organic and more chaotic design, standing for the Free Personality. So balance is achieved. His language is more Still than Moving, communicating a more thinking, cold, silent, and intellectual personality rather than emotional and warm.
SAAB's linear problem.
GM is now talking about selling SAAB.Whatever they do I wonder if SAAB is going to make it considering the magnitude of costs and complexity involved for getting new products on the market. Any change will take time to bring results. I'm crossing my fingers and hoping for the best.
SAAB's problems are rooted in their personality, as always. Their product design reveals that they are innovative, and in that sense somewhat free and irrational, but still rather rational and linear. For them design is more a question of innovation and functionality rather than balanced with art and esthetics, making their cars a bit soulless. Indeed very Swedish. They have improved in the last few years. However a distinct characteristic of their cars is that they haven't changed that much, something normal for us humans in order to be ... human. New cars look pretty much like old ones giving a linear design direction. The design is also a bit harsh and simple in complexity, strengthening the lack of "soul". More intellectual than emotional if you like. More engineering than design.
Other attributes of SAAB's Corporate Design look different, especially their advertising and web site design, with a design language being a bit more outgoing, organic, complex and smooth. What if their cars could follow the same path? Keep the innovative spirit but put more soul into it. And implement a more coherent design direction. Look at the sites below. I've never understood why you would try to be different on different markets. People will have a much harder time understanding who you are and you will loose important momentum. Sweden and Italy are somewhat similar, thought not completely, but look at USA. Despite an apparent irrational visual look I smell a rational marketing strategy.
Talk about Design.
This is an image of the center of the Milky Way taken from Hubble Space Telescope. Talk about design. How can people even imagine that we're not part of a higher intelligence and system? When Physicist now talkes about several other dimensions, e.g. in String Theory, behind creation, then how is that different from what has been said for ages, that we are indeed part of a higher meaning, we have a soul, and our awareness is separated from our body when we die? Nothing if you ask logic.
