When we see a product in a store window, we can't even imagine the number of processes it went through to achieve that result, but the truth is that a product even begins in the mind of its creator, the designer. There is a well-known expression that says “creativity has no limits”.
But now I ask, does creativity really have no limits when its ultimate goal is to be useful and functional for the user? What if the aim is just to be a piece of art? This subject is quite complex and must be analyzed from several points of view.
Let's start by understanding what FUNCTIONAL DESIGN is.
As the name suggests, being functional is when the focus is on the function of the product, its practical usefulness and comfort for the user. Even when we talk about interior decoration, the trend takes us towards simple, organized and practical environments without aesthetics taking precedence over functionality. Like when we buy a television or a car, for example, we buy for the function itself, for what we want its performance to be and according to our needs.
However, when prioritizing functional design two questions arise. There is competition in the market that offers us more or less equivalent objects, in this case how do we differentiate the product just by its function? Ah, now you're thinking, we can distinguish products by those that work better and those that work worse. Though, this is where the second question arises, if an object does not work well compared to others, how can we say that its design is functional? Does it stop being functional just because it doesn't fulfill the function for the purpose for which its designer designed it? Being functional is relative and largely depends on the use that each of us gives to the object. A bench, for example, was designed for us to sit on, but it can also be used as a side table, as a footrest or even a ladder.
Lígia Fascioni (PhD in Production and Systems Engineering with a focus on Integrated Design Management) argues that “When an object is designed thinking only about its function, that is not design. It’s engineering”.
If functional design is not enough to highlight a product compared to the competition, this is where AESTHETIC DESIGN comes in. Creating an object with focus on the experience it can offer is very important, but the visual aspect should not be discarded, as it awakens sensations, emotions and even the desire to buy that far exceeds the need.
ARTIGO EM DESTAQUE / FEATURED ARTICLE
.34 | NOV.
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