Re: 50 Book Challenge 2008

"whisky-dave" <whisky-dave@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message 
news:fun8sj$s6$1@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
> "Dark Phoenix" <dark_phoenix@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message 
> news:_OednZKHS8gUXpPVnZ2dnUVZ_jGdnZ2d@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>>
>>
>> Good or Bad Design, by Odd Brochmann. Studio Vista, 1970
>>
>>
>>
>> This little volume attempts to describe what good design is. In some
ways 
>> it succeeds- the design must fit human needs and be built to human
scale; 
>> it must avoid disorder. The object must be skillfully made, of
suitable, 
>> durable materials. He admits that it's very difficult to define
'beauty'. 
>> But he has a quirks that I found bothersome.
>>
>>
>>
>> He states that the tastes of the intellectual elite will always be 
>> superior to the tastes of the lower cl*****.
>
> I don;t suppose he's defined lower cl***** has he.

People who don't like avant garde plays on TV, for one thing, and prefer 
commercial TV shows. That's his big example.

>
>> He also maintains that good design is progressive, that while there
were 
>> good designs in the past, things are getting progressively better.
>
> Does he say what is getting better ?

No, nor does he say *why* it's better than what went before. He seems to 
like change for the sake of change.

>
>> Here comes the subjective clause again! He wrote this in 1970, and one
of 
>> his examples in the book is about the pleasing contrast of a ****ny
chrome 
>> and glass table set on a shag carpet. My subjective opinion of the 
>> designs of that era is that I thought they were ugly then, and I still 
>> think it. Of course, I'm not an intellectual elite, so perhaps that's
why 
>> shag carpet makes me want to puke, while I find Art Nouveau designs
very 
>> beautiful.
>
> I guess you're not classy enough to be intellectually elite
> or is it that you're not intellectually elite enough to be classy :)

Obviously!

> But one thing I've always been curious about is the link between design
> and so called fit for purpose.
> Is it better to build say a DVD player out of solid well made parts
> that will perhaps last at least 5 years if not 10 or use cheaper plastic

> parts/cogs
> that will become faulty in 2 years, but will be much cheaper.
> Enabling you to upgrade to the latest speced machine every few years.

He is for things made of quality materials etc. He made no mention of the 
need to upgrade- I don't think it was much of an issue in 1970- a TV set
was 
pretty much a TV set back then. And he didn't mention if he thought an 
8-track was better than a record...


-- 
Laurie Brown, Dark Phoenix
dark_phoenix@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
"To destroy the Western tradition of independent thought, it is not 
necessary to burn books. All we have to do is leave them unread for a
couple 
of generations."
--Robert Maynard Hutchens.