Objectified
I recently saw the documentary Objectified, by Gary Hustwit, an exploration of the design process of several designers. The movie interviewed several designers from different fields asking them about how the process affects what the end product looks like. The movie explores design aesthetics ranging from Ikea and Target, to Apple computers.
Further into the documentary, Hustwit makes a statement about the wasteful nature that designers used to adopt. Many never even considered where their designs will end up. Our craving for the new and the novel led to more and more waste produced, and only recently are designers becoming aware of this. Apple computer, due to Greenpeace pressures, has become the leading company producing conscious designs and products. Their current line of MacBook Pro laptops are mostly made of recyclable aluminum and are packaged in much smaller boxes to allow mass shipments and a much lower carbon footprint. That’s all good and fine, but as an Apple consumer myself, the one critique that I have for the company is their frequent use of the planned obsolescence strategy. They make innovative products that are only going to be trumped by their next innovative product six months later. And so people easily discard their obsolete iPhones to buy the newer model, thereby creating more and more waste.
I commend Objectified and Gary Hustwit for spreading awareness about our current waste problem. Hopefully, more and more conscious designers are created leading to a much more sustainable consumer world.
