Wednesday Lecture

Although this most recent wednesday lecture was agreeably disorganized, I think many interesting points were brought up. The "suburb-effect", as he described it, probably influences your lives, although you may not realize it. I thought it was interesting how the suburbs were created, in his opinion, to get away from the hustle and bustle and dirt of the city. How they began as hybridized rural-urban living areas with connections to nature but evolved into sanctuaries of boredom, repetitiveness and uneventful lives.
At first I remarked upon the unconnected nature of the lecture's points, but now I realize that some may be applied to design, even if the comparisons are reaching.
In design, products have been simplified and had their appearance toned down in an effort to reduce user confusion and wariness towards complicated features. While the basic idea is helpful; create a user friendly layout to familiarize the public and increase sales, the reality is that a slew of indistinguishable products have overwhelmed our culture, lacking unique design and sacrificing aesthetic interest for comfort or ease of use.
I think the challenge for up-and-coming designers is to create quality, lasting products that introduce new and exciting layouts without forgetting about the all important aspects of ergonomics and simplicity.


Let's have this first one, not the second we are so familiar with.