The top 21 things and people shaping design today Matt 31 Mar 2005

21 comments Latest by steered

Icon magazine just published a list of the top 21 things and people shaping design today. #1 is Ikea: “The company has done more to bring about an acceptance of domestic modernity (in the traditionally-minded UK market at least) than the rest of the design world combined.” [via MUG]

21 comments (comments are closed)

Jamie 31 Mar 05

#9 is Blogs

JF 31 Mar 05

I love that #2 is rapid protyping.

Brian 31 Mar 05

Wow, I couldn’t disagree more. Ikea is the definition of fashion over function. Their goods are poorly made from the cheapest materials, and nothing is built to last, in terms of quality or style. If Ikea is what’s “shaping design” then design has failed.

Matt Hampel 31 Mar 05

Oh my! Repeating backgrounds! Unreadable text! It’s like it’s 1999 all over again.

kingbenny 31 Mar 05

I am somewhat skeptical of the Nintendo DS being considered part of the Top 21 Most Influential however…

Steve, via Den, Fla and now RDU 31 Mar 05

Is it me or is this difficult to read.

I’m using Firefox.

Dan Boland 31 Mar 05

Their goods are poorly made from the cheapest materials, and nothing is built to last, in terms of quality or style.

That’s not true across the board, but I will admit that once you build an Ikea dresser, you better not move it more than once or twice or it will fall apart. If you want the look of Ikea and can afford to pay for higher quality, I recommend West Elm.

I am somewhat skeptical of the Nintendo DS being considered part of the Top 21 Most Influential.

Ha ha, me too. It’s yet another example of Nintendo coming up with a good idea on paper that translates to a mediocre selling product at best (remember the Virtual Boy?). The dual screens are a gimmick; what gamers want is to forget they’re on a handheld. The PSP will probably shift a good chunk of market share into Sony’s court. Too bad the UMD player is just a stupid idea that won’t generate extra movie sales.

Sam 31 Mar 05

I disagree about IKEA. While I concede that their products are not designed to last generations, they have implimented the Bauhaus idea of design for the masses. IKEA offers young people starting out and middle class families products that are both usable and inexpensive. The influence of IKEA on design in general is the emphasis on designing to a price point to meet specific consumer needs.

Anders 31 Mar 05

Why not be creative and use Ctrl + + (Firefox)?

And IKEA definately belongs in the top, but then I’m also a Swede…

Jeff 31 Mar 05

IKEA - whatever. Who cares.

#11: Light Transmitting Concrete — now that’s cool.

Adam Codega 31 Mar 05

What the article is talking about, if you care to read it, is modern design being accepted more and more in every day homes. Ikea has been able to do this, quality can be an issue but I enjoyed my friend’s Poang chair with ottoman the last time I visited him and it wasn’t sold to him for $800 by a pompous salesperson.

If you think the DS is a joke, you need to follow video games more. Sony comes out with a more expensive handheld that just isn’t doing much, design wise, besides the large screen. DS has become very popular and is affordable. The use of dual screens is smart from a design point when you are stuck for screen real estate.

pb 31 Mar 05

Ikea is the definition of fashion over function. Their goods are poorly made from the cheapest materials, and nothing is built to last, in terms of quality or style.

It just says they are “shaping design”. Not building funciton over fashion of using expensive materials or making things built to last. Just “shaping design”.

BTW, where’s Apple?

paul haine 01 Apr 05

“It�s yet another example of Nintendo coming up with a good idea on paper that translates to a mediocre selling product at best”

I don’t know where you’re getting your information, but the Nintendo DS has been flying off the shelves; it’s doing very well.

Dan Boland 01 Apr 05

I’ll take the heat… I didn’t realize the DS was selling so well. So I gracefully retract that statement. I was just noticing the buzz over the PSP versus that when the DS came out. Plus, I just wanted an excuse to talk about the Virtual Boy… man, that thing sucked.

I still, however, think that the dual screens are a total gimmick. Innovative for sure, but still a gimmick.

Darrel 01 Apr 05

Ikea is the definition of fashion over function.

In terms of the marketplace, Ikea is highly functional design. We redid our kid’s room this year and we tried very hard not to buy everything at Ikea, but, in the end, the entire room was purchased at Ikea. There just isn’t much out there to compare.

DWR sells higher quality, but at 5 times the price. That’s not terribly functional for many american consumers. (Though, to DWR’s credit, I’m seeing some pieces that are finally aiming for the crowd just a notch above Ikea in terms of pricing…)

And BLECH…what is with that site with the article? Ironically awful design.

MH 01 Apr 05

Most design magazines seem to want to be high-art magazines and therefore have little to do with design.

Would you ever expect to see something like Basecamp featured in one of their “interactive annuals?” No, you see converted magazine spreads with huge photographs and unreadable text. Oh, and gratuitous Flash, of course.

circumstances 22 Jun 05

continuedforcingminute

steered 30 Jun 05

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