If You Were a Product, What Would You Be?

Designer Lifehack
Posted by DT
Aug 06, 2008
(9 comments)

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Thanks for visiting and please keep in touch? ~ D.T.

Inspired by Jason Santa Maria’s “If you were a Typeface“, I thought it would be cool if we did a similar rendition but relate it to products?

So consider this, if you were a product, what sort of product would you be? You could just list your favorite product, but it would make more sense to list a product that best describes your personality, tastes or interests etc.

Along the same lines as Jason’s post, perhaps you could also expand the the product description to include some background on the designer who designed the product and any other tit-bits such as the year it was designed or the materials used.

Let me go first:

———-

I am a Lamy Dialog 1 by Richard Sapper!

This beautiful ball point pen was designed and launched in 2003 by Richard Sapper who is also known for the IBM Thinkpads and the iconic Alessi Melodic kettle. In 1959, Richard Sapper together with Marco Zanuso was hired as consultants to Brionvega. Their resulting series of radios and televisions ushered in an aesthetic known as techno-functionalism. This limited edition pen has a Matt titanium triangular body and a stainless steel clip.

I relate to this product as it does reflect my style or the sort of style I would aspire towards. This style would be clean, functional but still edgy. What I also like is that the Dialog 1 is able to differentiate itself from most pens, but still have a pen like typology, an association that is very important in my mind. Furthermore, not only does the Dialog 1 function well, it is simply a joyful experience to use. I finally managed to get mine on Sale at 40% off in, or all places, Thailand!

———-

What about you? Which product do you most relate to or associate yourself with? I look forward to your replies!




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    • Comments

    Matt
    Aug 07, 08 – 5:32 am

    I’d be a BeoGram 4000 series turntable designed in 1972 by Jacob Jensen. It was the first turntable to use a tangential tonearm and I managed to pick one up off of eBay a couple years ago.

    It was modern and solid without being cold - built with heavy aluminum and cased in rosewood or teak. All of the features were there to make sure the record was taken care of and the listener could focus on listening - less on moving the needle / risk damaging the record.

    I like it because it went against the grain and focused on the experience of the user. The shiny aluminum isn’t in your face as it hides somewhat under a tinted dust cover. When it’s opened-up, it captivates people. They’re curious as to what it does / how it works.

    Kenny
    Aug 07, 08 – 5:42 pm

    I’d be a Lego brick. Legos are what led me to the path of industrial design and I think as a product they utilize constraints and are designed very well. Created in Danmark by Ole Kirk Christiansen the word lego comes from the danish word leg godt ( play well).

    csven
    Aug 07, 08 – 9:30 pm

    I’m all the products somewhere (inclusively) between the original spark of the idea and that first shot off the tool; newly tangible but still very much virtual.

    Takashi Yamada
    Aug 09, 08 – 1:40 am

    Brian we are alike! I own two pen, Porsche Design TecFlex and the Lamy Dialog 1. I as well strive for clean, functional but edgy style.

    DT
    Aug 09, 08 – 9:51 am

    Hi All,

    Thanks for joining in and great products we have here!

    @matt Fantastic product, It is on of my favorites as well. Thanks for commenting.

    @Kenny You cant go wrong with Lego! Well Done!

    @csven I would not have expected any thing other than that!

    @takashi Hah-hah! Nice to see and hear from you, do keep in touch?

    DT
    Aug 12, 08 – 5:59 pm

    No one else wants to play?

    Waikit
    Aug 14, 08 – 10:11 am

    I would be a Swiss Army knife, representing versatility and quality. Well I am trying to be..
    More about it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swiss_Army_knife

    asim memishi
    Aug 16, 08 – 10:53 am

    i would like to be a piece of paper, that has a opacity, figuration and the capacity to be transparent. notably the paper would be able to absorb and deflect light. its usage could be upright, used as a light portal and simply filed away for storage. it would be sensory to information input and could be utized as a sensory output.paper, yes it does need a design over haul, afterall it is one of the oldest tools of ‘civilization’

    DT
    Aug 16, 08 – 9:51 pm

    @Waikit Now a Swiss Army Knife, that is very cool!

    @asim memishi, I have to admit, a piece of paper is very creative indeed! Nice one.


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