CES 2009 – design and form
Posted on Tuesday, January 13th, 2009 at 5:23pm. #
Great design appeared to be part of the theme at CES this year. Yes, there were plenty of unpleasantly designed items (of which more later), but there were a few manufacturers selling their products primarily on great design.
iRiver’s stand was specifically all about design – showing off beautiful-looking devices, along with museum pieces from design museums. Etón, a radio manufacturer, similarly had carefully designed radios on show on their stand – from hand-crank power to a tie-in with Grundig.
But it was the radio above that caught my eye. Very analogue, yes, but this radio is made from wood. A really nice-looking device, which you could put anywhere in the most fashionable hotel or flat. Any product which says Its uncoated surface should be oiled periodically to encourage a deeper connection between user and object. probably wins a place in pseud’s corner, mind.
Great design appears to be becoming just as important as additional features. It might be the Apple effect (probably is, being frank) but to have beautiful-looking devices might mean the radio might make it back into the front room…
