Objectified - Form and Content

The movie Objectified is a documentary that sought to answer some of the big questions of design: what is designs, who are the people of design, what is the role of design in our society, and is design used mostly for commercial purposes, or does it have any other attributes? Designers from all over the world, interviewed to hear what they have to say about these questions. Most of them, agreed that for design to be successful, function always has to be above form. These two concepts are related however, and if they transmit a message, they form the concept. A design that looks good but is not functional, fails to achieve its purpose. Designers, deal every day with the obsession of making things that fit peoples’ needs and desires, things that are also aesthetically beautiful.

Some of the designers that were interviewed for this movie include:, Ewan Bourroulec, Chris Bangle (BMW), Paola Antonelli, Karim Rashin, Jonathan Ive (Apple), Naoto Fukasawa, and many other well-known designers. Even though their responses regarding design varied, they all agreed upon one thing: a designed object regardless of what it is, needs to create a unique experience for the user, and create a bond between the two.

Ewan Bourroulec, a French designer from Paris, came up with the idea for ergonomic chair design. He wanted to create an environment where people would feel good. So he looked at many different chairs, and chose the ones that best suited people with back pain. They were simple, but with a great function. The ergonomic chair is a great example that a design is not just about the aspect, the form, but about its practical application.

Chris Bangle, one of the designers for BMW said that a car is a personal expression, and the way it looks is very important for the owner. In the case of a car, the function is obviously critical, but the form is also important, because for the owner, the look of the car is like a personal expression.

In the movie Objectified, well-known designers from all around the world state their opinion regarding what the relationship between form and function should be in a successful design. Once again, function seems to be by far much more important than the form, but form is also important, and it can also be a way of self-expression for the owner.

For more info: http://www.objectifiedfilm.com/