Design Matters

I’ve often talked about where design inspiration comes from and how there is no clear formula for it. I personally have found ideas in some of the strangest places.  The bright red dipstick handle on my BMW,  the clever cord storage on my 25 year old Braun coffee grinder, and the carry handle from a M-16 have all influenced designs that I have  been associated with.  This is all part of the creative process.

Lately, however, I have seen a trend by others to take design inspiration to to an uncomfortable place.  For the sake of  this discussion I’m going to put this type of  design deja vu into three broad categories:

Ride the wave:

Apply the basic design theme to something else and hope you can ride the wave to profitability.  The best example I have for this one is the barrage of  translucent candy colored products that flooded the market a few years ago. At one point it was  nearly impossible to buy even a basic stapler that wasn’t rendered in this manner. Finally I can buy one that doesn’t make me look goofy for owning it.

Intentionally Similar:

These are the kinds of things that are within the same product category but look confusingly similar to a highly visible and successful design already in market.  Maybe a few details are a bit different, textures, split lines, etc. They are not totally identical,  but  the close resemblance is not by accident. The fashion industry has been plagued by this for years. Lately I’ve seen lots of activity in this category within the notebook computer space. How many minimalistic aluminum computers have you seen in the news?  Black square ones with contrasting metal hinges have also surfaced. I wonder where they got that idea?    

Knock Off:

A knock off is created to be as identical as possible with the intent of fooling either the buyer or others into believing it is the real thing. Often these include an unauthorized use of the  manufacturers logo. I’m sure many of you have seen knockoff  products being sold out of the trunk of a car deep within the bowels of New York City. Are you sure those sunglasses are real? Look closely. On occasion the logos are slightly changed or spelled incorrectly hoping nobody will notice. Generally speaking this category will cause lawyers to spring into action. This depends on the type of design or trademark protection that may be in place by the original manufacturer. Yes, a design can be patented to protect what is called the ornamental quality. Design patents do not cover any utility or functionality. That is the domain of a utility patent.

Market success seems to breed this kind of thinking.  I find it hard to venture into this questionable space . Oddly enough the Volkswagen beetle,  the most successful car in history, was never the victim of design deja vu. It was so dramatically unique that nobody ever dared to wade into their territory. I’m a big Picasso fan, but I  find it hard to agree with his famous quotation ” Good Artists copy, great artists steal.” I prefer to let inspiration take me to a new place, not somewhere already occupied.

David Hill

Authenticity is a word that is used a lot in the design world. The concept is not new, we talked about this when I was in design school in the 70’s, but there seems to be a heightened level of interest and discussion regarding the topic.  For me the idea of authenticity has a lot to do with honesty and a celebration of what is original or authentic. There is a wonderful book written by James Gilmore and Joe Pine on this subject called Authenticity: What Customers Really Want.  The book is really interesting and contains lots of discussion about brands or experiences that have this quality,  and those that wish they did. The basic premise of the book is that consumers today crave authenticity. Faux is out. I personally have a theory that in tough economic times this may be even more true. Would you rather purchase a tried and true high quality classic, or an unknown phony trying to be something that it isn’t? 

Levi’s 501 Jeans, 1947 Reissue

Highly authentic products are not hard to find. America is full of them.  Levi Strauss blue jeans, Alden “Indy” boots, Harley Davidson’s Sportster, and Ray Ban Aviators are originals that defy change. Levi’s has introduced an updated 501 jean that looks more authentic than ever. They retrospecitvely looked into their over 125 year history to move forward. Incredible as it may seem, you can  buy 1947 reissue versions just like your grandpa might have worn, including the use of selvage denim so stiff they could stand by themselves . Unfortunately, Grandpa would cringe at todays price. The Levi Strauss corporate website brilliantly includes a heritage link that will help to determine if your oldest pair of jeans are collectible. In some extreme cases they will buy them for their museum. Even people can be authentic, Bob Dylan is at the top of my list. I heard that he has just recorded a new album. I bet is sounds like him. It’s easy to be authentic if you are.

Typical Food Court    

If you are in search of an authentic experience take a stroll down a side street in Paris looking for a nice bistro in which to enjoy a bite to eat. That is a true  authentic experience. A visit to the  food court  at the local shopping mall is not. My least favorite contrived experience is a visit to  one of those new shopping malls that trys to duplicate the appearance of an authentic downtown. Styrofoam stick on architecturual details, confused parking schemes, pedestrian unfriendly traffic patterns, and the usual food chains is just more than I can stand.  Too bad people don’t really go to downtown.  

I recently saw a talk that Joe Pine delivered at a TED conference where he summarized  three rules to remember regarding authenticity. I think they are good ones.

1. Don’t say you are authentic unless you really are authentic

2. It’s easier to be authentic if you don’t say you’re authentic

3. If you say you are authentic you better be authentic

So in the spirit of  “do as I say,not as I do” , I’m going to violate the rules. I’m a firm believer that ThinkPad is a brand and design full of authenticity. It is a true original now more than 15 years in the making. We have a heritage unlike that of any notebook computer brand to draw upon. I think this gives us an advantage in todays world. In case you have not noticed there are many competitve notebook computers now moving into our space with similar appearance. Notice I said similar. Joe Pine might not be quite so kind.

I will be the first to admit that ThinkPad is not perfect, we continue to refine and improve the  breed, but we have always built on who we are. This is a journey with no final destination.  Before our latest versions are even on the market we are already working on the next generation ideas.  What would you do to make the next generation ThinkPad even better?  Would you look into the past?  Would you simplify the design essence even more?  Would you remove all the visible screws and labels? Why not spin the logo upside down?  Offer it in a variety of colors? How about a racing stripe ?  Heaven forbid, should we just start over with a totally clean sheet of paper? I would love to hear your comments on this subject.

 The Authentic ThinkPad X300

With regard to authenticity, perhaps Shakespeare said in best in his play Hamlet. “To thine own self be true, and as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man.”

David Hill

Guest blogger, Johnson Li, Director of Lenovo’s Beijing Inovation Center, speaks out about a concept that recently emerged on the tech blogs. I want to thank him for sharing this concept with the Design Matters audience.  David

Last week some buzz was created by a photograph that someone snuck out of our Beijing design studio. The picture was of a pocket-sized PC we developed about two years ago, well before the current netbook craze and the introduction of a similar form factor by one of our competitors. Since the design has been shown in public in the past and received some attention, I thought it might be of some interest to discuss the design inspiration and share some photos and drawings of the device.

We in Lenovo’s Beijing design center refer to this concept as the “Pocket Yoga,” an extension of an award winning design we’ve shown in public based on a folding concept inspired by the practice of yoga by one of our New Zealand-based designers. The full Yoga concept was a folding notebook with a detachable keyboard. The system unit was covered in leather.

Pocket Yoga is shaped just like a large wallet. You can easily put it into your pocket. The proportion of length and width is about the maximum size for a notebook that can fit into a pocket, or, as we like to say, it is the smallest pocket notebook.

The surface is covered with wallet leather, so it is soft and comfortable to put it into a pocket or a bag. Leather can transform a cold, plastic or metal machine into something warm and considerate, transforming it into something friendlier and more like a trusted and valued possession. Always there, always waiting.

The “pocket Yoga” inherits the 360-degree soft hinge design from the Yoga notebook. The soft hinge supports three modes, locking into each position. I feel that the hinge mechanism was one of the major innovations behind its usability and new experience for the user.

When you open it to a normal angle, it can be used as a laptop. Its full-function keyboard gives you enough space to type, so your hands won’t be crowded or compromised. Or you can open it 360 degrees, folding the top cover back to the base, and it becomes the tablet notebook. In the tablet mode the user can read,  draw with the special pen, or surf the web. All in all, we believe this configuration gives the user the option to use the device as a hand-held notebook, giving more space than a mobile phone, along with the ability to type with more powerful multi-media features.

Detail always determines the excellence of a new configuration. “Pocket Yoga” has a elegant belt which wraps around the whole body.   The “belt” is not a simple decoration, because when it is removed it becomes  a mouse. It is the type of surprise that we designers want to give our customers. Imagine whenever in formal or casual occasion, it will become your best partner to show your high taste and satisfies your office or entertainment needs.

The “Yoga” notebook experiment is finished, but the stories of new developed products from Lenovo’s design teams are always happening. Innovation never stops. Next time, which story we will share with you? Who knows?

Johnson Li

Worms-eye View

We just announced a series of new ThinkCentre all business desktops with a revitalized design. My favorite is the A Series tower. Towers just seem more interesting from a design perspective. The are almost like designing a skyscraper. Similar proportions and monolithic forms  make the connection for me. I guess I am not the only one to make this connection, so do many photographers.  Computer towers are often photographed for marketing materials with a perspective that strongly reinforces that connection. I have seen more worms-eye views of towers than I can even begin to remember. I admit they look more dramatic, menacing and powerful from a low angle, but these views have nothing to do with how you actually use or interact with one. Is the architecture connection one about drama or reality?

 Previous Generation Tower as Seen From a Chair

Lets face it , for the most part towers end up on the floor with a discombobulated snarl of cables, disgusting dust bunnies and last months cracker crumbs. We see them from above,  not from below. That epiphany was the inspiration for the new design. When we reviewed study models during the development process I refused to comment on the design unless the models  were placed on the floor and I was seated next to them like a real user. I wasn’t trying to be an overbearing boss, my intention was to force a new way of thinking into the design process. It became very obvious to me that  most towers were not designed with this in mind. Power switches, USB ports, audio jacks, etc. were often place too close to the floor or were impossible to see  or use from a natural seated position. Can you imagine using your cars CD player if it were mounted under the seat where you couldn’t possibly see or touch the controls? You would have to become adept at using your foot to insert the disk I suppose.

New Design as Seen From a Chair

After creating numerous sketches and study models  of different design variations,  we finally zeroed in on a configuration that moved the power switch to the top of an angled handle and inclined all the other connectors on a similar upward facing plane. The difference in being able to see and use them is astonishingly simple, but  superior. We made sure the power switch is protected from accidental use by angling the plane on which it is located and by encircling it with a raised chrome ring. This is similar to what you might find on a piece of military hardware.  You don’t want to accidently push some buttons in that environment either. The dot in the center of the button neatly illuminates when the machine is powered on and is easy to see. We retained a carry  handle that we pioneered back in the PS/1 days not only for convenience but to give the machine a distinctive character and profile.

Carry Handle

One other goal we had was to simplify the overall visual impression of the machine, while staying true to the well established Think design language. Simple is at the root of  Think design. To achieve that goal we covered the optical drives with simple flaps that automatically fold down when the media is ejected . They also protect the drives from dust and dirt when not being used. The eject buttons are aligned to the side of the machine  so you can easily find them by sliding your hand down the edge until you feel them. We added new inclined venting that matches the pattern on our ThinkVision monitors and adds a jaunty quality.  If it weren’t for those pesky heat dissapation requirements we would have preferred none.

Why didn’t we do this concept sooner? I’m not really sure how to answer that.  Design inspiration can come at any time from market research, customer feedback, a flea market, or good old design intuition.  Sometimes all it takes is a new point of view. 

David Hill

You never know where you might discover a classic of modern design. People sometimes end up with classics without even knowing it. Maybe they inherited a Eames chair from Uncle Bob that just doesn’t look right next to their button tufted wingback. Perhaps they got a set of salt and pepper shakers designed by a Bauhaus master for a wedding present, but they just didn’t fit with their traditional lead crystal pattern. What happens to these misunderstood masterpieces? More often than not they sadly end up in a storage unit, the attic, or the cabinet nobody ever opens. My favorite is when they show up at garage sales, thrift stores, or on eBay.

A designer friend of mine once bought a fully functional typewriter designed by Ettore Sottsass at the local Goodwill store for $5.00. The model he scored was the Olivetti Praxis 48 released in 1964. It is a true beauty that you can see at design museums all over the world. Sottsass creatively juxtaposed hard ribbed forms with soft  colorful keys that make me smile every time I see them. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.  

Olivetti Praxis 48

I personally have a few rescues to my credit as well, including a set of salt and pepper shakers designed by Wilhelm Wagenfeld in 1952. It took me about 2 seconds to snatch them out of the relatives Goodwill-bound box. They look as good on my table as they do in the Museum of Modern Art. I’m still hoping to score one of his lamp designs for next to nothing at a neighborhood garage sale. It doesn’t hurt to dream.

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“Max and Moritz”  Salt and Pepper Set

A few months ago I spotted an original ThinkPad 700c on eBay and could not resist bidding on it. It was missing a few parts, had broken hinges, and generally looked a bit tired, but it needed to be rescued. It even had the original TrackPoint cap made from slippery smooth red rubber.  This version pre-dates the classic cat tongue that was developed for enhanced traction.  I ended up winning the auction with a bid of $19.00, a rather significant reduction in price from the original MSRP of $4,350 in 1992.

ThinkPad 700c Circa 1992

Although 56mm is very thick by today’s standards, the design is astonishingly simple. It truly is a black box with a very clean under side that challenges my thinking of how we build ThinkPads today. My long term goal is to build a pristine 700c . To accomplish this I will need to rescue several machines and assemble the best parts to make one  perfect one.  If anyone has a 700c they would like to donate to the cause please let me know. I guarantee it will have a good home.

David Hill 

The high intensity Lytegem Lamp designed by Michael Lax  in 1965 has recently been reintroduced by Lightolier. Michael Lax designed some true modern classics for companies such as Copco, Lightolier, and others.  He was very active as a designer until his unfortunate death in 1999. The lamps simplicity of concept and execution is stunning , and perhaps more in style than ever. Mod is back. The base is weighted for tabletop use or it can be wall mounted with a included bracket. The telescopic rod extends from 6.5″ to 15″and the head swivels 360 degrees. The lamps brightness can be adjusted easily with a switch on the base.

Wall Mounting  

I personally like the visual connection between the red version and ThinkPad. Simple black box with a round red accent, sound familiar?

David Hill