Jonathan Ive once said in a 1996 ( yes, 1996) interview that " It's the inquisitiveness, the sense of exploration" that drives creative teams to new concepts. "It's about being excited to be wrong because then you know that you've discovered something new". Today, the idea of "new" is often talked about in terms of innovation rather than invention, yet, truly new ideas are often scary, if only because they are unfamiliar, and let's face it - what is unfamiliar today? Very little.
It's true that most industries today have very little appetite for risk taking, let alone being open for truly 'new' ideas. A fact that has design trying to catch up in a world where cliche is more digestible to marketers and consumers, than something, different yet better.
New and different doesn't mean that an object or product is better, but it is often the first step in creating a new and enhanced experience. We all expect so much from products today, that often design teams and development teams over-think the evaluation process, resulting in either an over-design product, or a 'looks-like-wanna-be". Of course, most company's will never admit that they function that way, opting for a less aggressive, more cautious statement such as "evolutionary design' or, consumer friendly".
In the future, the real winners will be those who can set new bars - those who can invest with confidence those concepts that can become legend. Back to Ive's research just for materials, imagine convincing your computer electronics design team to visit a candy factory to see how jelly beans are coated, to discover a new way to treat plastic, now that is raising the bar.
It's true that most industries today have very little appetite for risk taking, let alone being open for truly 'new' ideas. A fact that has design trying to catch up in a world where cliche is more digestible to marketers and consumers, than something, different yet better.
New and different doesn't mean that an object or product is better, but it is often the first step in creating a new and enhanced experience. We all expect so much from products today, that often design teams and development teams over-think the evaluation process, resulting in either an over-design product, or a 'looks-like-wanna-be". Of course, most company's will never admit that they function that way, opting for a less aggressive, more cautious statement such as "evolutionary design' or, consumer friendly".
In the future, the real winners will be those who can set new bars - those who can invest with confidence those concepts that can become legend. Back to Ive's research just for materials, imagine convincing your computer electronics design team to visit a candy factory to see how jelly beans are coated, to discover a new way to treat plastic, now that is raising the bar.
