The dictate of design

If design were a form of government, it would be an authoritarian dictatorship. If it were a religion, it would be a monotheistic, intolerant one. If it were a film character, it would be Gunnery Sergeant Hartman from “Full Metal Jacket”. In short: design rules by an iron fist. There’s hardly anything left that’s not styled, groomed and polished. Even if things look grungy and undone, it’s intentional. Go skiing and watch: there’s always a couple of guys on the slopes (Prince Charles, for example) who wear scruffy one-piece skiing outfits that make them look like they’re about to travel to the moon. Once you’re over the initial shock of the sight and/or have discounted the lunar alternative, you’ll convince yourself that they must be doing it on purpose, say, for a stag do. There’s also the remote possibility that they’re so cool that they don’t really care about what they’re wearing. That, of course, would require a lot of self-confidence. Either way, the tolerance for unstylishness has become so low among urbanites, that it’s barely considered a fact of life anymore.

If you felt like you needed to blame someone for that, you need to point your finger at Apple, IKEA and Zara. They have been the most powerful forces in the democratization of design over the past 20 years to date. As Steve Jobs famously put it: “Design is how it works”. No more philosophical talk about “form follows function” or vice versa. Function and form are identical.

There’s nothing wrong with that per se. In many ways, it’s a noble idea to make design accessible and the world more pleasing to the eye. It is based on the premise, however, that the majority of people respond positively (and more or less uniformly) to the concept of design as a whole and its specific manifestations like iPhones, bookshelves, cafes and printed dresses. That’s not the case though. For whatever reason, some people prefer stuff that’s commonly (and often rightly) considered to be ugly. Or they simply don’t care about design. Others can’t relate to the lifestyle choices that have become so intimately intertwined with certain styles and designs (be a surfer, be a lady, be a gangster, be minimal, be retro etc). It’s one thing to make someone buy a product. It’s another to make them buy into a lifestyle.

Advertising is exactly about that, of course. That said, designers should be reminded every once in a while that not all people have a strongly developed sense of style and therefore might reject the emotions and lifestyle choices linked to their products. They might even be intimidated by them. Have a seat in any centrally located bar in a large city and invariably, you’ll notice a confused-looking, middle-aged person ask for a hot chocolate, tea or something else that the establishment obviously doesn’t serve. Your first reaction is likely going to be: this place is way too cool and they should know better. Well, last time I saw a person like that, I tried to picture her in her natural habitat for a change: if I were used to armchairs, knitted table cloths and potted plants, I wouldn’t feel comfortable in a dim-lit concrete basement right out of a taxidermist’s dream with loud speakers blasting progressive house. And honestly, I’d have no idea where to get my Ovomaltine.

This has nothing to do with morals. It’s a simple observation that the prevailing design standards have a certain crowding-out effect. I don’t know how the affected people react to the dictates of design. If they’re put off by them or feel a sense of alienation from the world. But it’s worth considering. Design is charged with so many implicit messages and subtexts beyond its physical properties that its effects transcend mere aesthetics. Everything’s supposed to be cool, clean and fancy. It’s a trend from Miami to Riga to Bangkok. Concept stores, bars, restaurants, hotels – they all pretend to be unique yet emulate one another in trying too hard to be hip and edgy. Their success speaks for itself. But it’s mostly push, not pull: the modern design wave has created its own demand and bullied its way to a new global standard. That’s an impressive achievement but, rest assured, not a world-changing feat. After all, the design averse need places to go to as well.