Explain how the classic design of a product, such as a classic car, transcends obsolescence.

Figure 6 shows a coffee maker design from the 1930s. It is widely considered a design classic and is still used today.

Figure 6: A coffee maker

[Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Moka2.jpg
Imm808 – Wikimedia Commons]

Which of these factors may have contributed to its status as a classic design?

I. It could be mass produced easily

II. It was the dominant design for coffee makers for many years

III. It transcended its function by being used as decoration in many kitchens

Choosing the right material(s) for a product such as a bridge is a complex and difficult task aseach one has different physical, aesthetic and mechanical properties. In addition, there may beenvironmental, social, cultural, moral and ethical issues associated with the choice of material(s).

The Anzac Bridge in Sydney, Australia is a cable-stayed bridge made of reinforced concrete andsteel cable, see Figure 6. There is a patent on the cables.

In other cases, bridge designers have used traditional materials such as wood. Figure 7 shows atimber bridge in Canada.

Figure 7: A timber bridge

[Source: 'File:Wood bridge Montmorency.jpg'by Cephasis marked with CC BY-SA 3.0. To view the terms, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/?ref=openverse\]

Which of these statements best describes practical function?

I. A product that focuses on reliability

II. A product that focuses on functionality

III. A product that focuses on desirability

The design of mobile phones has changed over time. Figure 7 shows the evolution of mobile phones before the launch of the iPhone, while Figure 8 shows the evolution of smartphones since the launch of the iPhone.

[Sources: image adapted from Anders https://commons.wikimedia.org and © International Baccalaureate Organization 2018]

A design that contains those implicit features of a product that are recognized as essential by a majority of manufacturers and purchasers is known as…

The Volkswagen (VW) Beetle is considered a design classic. In the 1999 car of the centurycompetition it came fourth (after the Ford Model T, Mini and Citroen DS).

Since the production of the first car in 1941 the car has changed very little in appearance,see Figure 10. Initially the bodywork was made of steel, but more recently this has changedto a range of materials such as alloys, composites and plastics.

Other materials that make up the VW Beetle have also changed. For example, thewindscreen (windshield) is made of laminated glass whereas it was originally made oftoughened glass.

One way that a product may be considered as a design classic is by the length of thematurity phase in the product life cycle.

Which of the following applies to retro styling?

The Anglepoise lamp was originally designed in 1932 by George Carwardine and isconsidered a classic design. The Anglepoise lamp has undergone many iterations since 1932and is now mass-produced as a modern consumer product, see Figure 4.

Many designers have been influenced by the Anglepoise lamp. The Agency of Design,a design company, set themselves a challenge to redesign the Anglepoise lamp by using thelowest possible embodied energy. The lamp is made from a hardwood structure with a bottlecork as an adjustment mechanism, see Figure 5.

Figure 4: A modern version of the Anglepoise lamp

Figure 5: The Agency of Design redesign

Figure 4: Image of the Anglepoise Original 1227 lamp shown with permission by Anglepoise Limited.

Figure 5: The Agency of Design, 2010. A 10-megajoule lamp. Available at:
https://agencyofdesign.co.uk/projects/designing-with-energy. With permission from The Agency of Design.

With the introduction of sound in movies, the clapperboard was invented in the 1930s in Melbourneto align sight and sound during the editing process. An example of a clapperboard is shown inFigure 4.

The Gramovox® bluetooth speaker design is based on gramophones from the 1920s, seeFigure 13. For the prototype, stereolithography (SLA) was used to 3D print the S-curve horn.

Pavan Bapu the founder of Gramovox®, is an entrepreneur and a product champion, seeFigure 14. He crowdsourced funding for manufacture through Kickstarter and promotedthe concept through live online broadcasts and newspaper interviews. He was inspired todevelop the Gramovox® bluetooth speaker after seeing a 1920s gramophone in a shop window.

Figure 13: Gramovox, 2013. Gramovox Bluetooth Gramophone. [image online]
Available at: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/gramovox/gramovoxtm-bluetooth-gramophone
[Accessed 10 September 2020].

Figure 14: Technori, 2015. Pavan Bapu Presents Gramovox. [video online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Mp5m8klziA
[Accessed 10 September 2020]. Source adapted.