This week is Design Week, celebrating Irish design in almost all its forms. Here, some of the people involved - guest speakers and award winners - give Eoin Lyons their views on the best and the worst of design.
Roisin Gartland, Fashion designer, winner, IDI fashion design award
Good Design: 1960s mini-skirt
The mini-skirt signifies the excitement of the 1960s. As a piece of design, it's very simple, but gave women more freedom than before - the mini helped make it OK to wear whatever you wanted, no matter how short! Mary Quant popularised it and sold the mini-skirt at an accessible price. Often it was made from materials such as plastic, which had never been used in clothing before.
Bad Design: 1980s Shoulder Pads
The super-wide shoulder pads of the 1980s were really awful. Clothing should work with the body rather than fight against it. Quarter-back shoulder pads altered the shape of a woman's body and that, for me, is bad design. They were so unflattering, I don't understand why they became so popular in the first place.
James Dyson, Product designer
Good Design: JCB digger
The JCB digger is a good example of functional design where performance is most important. It's not meant to look nice - its appearance comes after its function. The JCB uses a clever lever principle to break rocks and does its job very well. That in itself makes it good design.
Bad:Mobile phones
Most mobile phones are over-styled so much that it takes away from their ease of use. Most aren't particularly easy to hold and odd shaped buttons don't make it easy to dial either. I'd take away all the gimmicky styling and let the phone be what it is - a wonderful piece of technology.
The one mobile phone that does this is Sony's MDS Fly Top.
Christopher Frayling, Rector of the Royal College of Art in London and chairman of the UK's Design Council
Good: Aston Martin DB5
This was the car James Bond drove in Goldfinger and it is a beautiful piece of styling. I wanted one when I was young because it looks almost handmade - kind of like Saville Row tailoring on a car. At the time, cars all looked very similar but this looked like it was designed by a human being, not a committee.It was functional and did everything it was supposed to but looked great too - that's good design.
Bad: Bacon packets
Why are they so hard to open? As far as I can see, no brand has come up with a packet that peels open easily, you always end up searching for a scissors to cut the top off. The meat has to be kept fresh, but it makes life difficult for the consumer and good design should never do that.
Karl Speak Minneapolis - based brand consultant, author of Be Your Own Brand
Good: Apple iMac
It feels good to touch and is the kind of object you want to have on your desk. Computers are all similar in function, but Apple has successfully reflected its brand visually. I see design as a way to reinforce a brand and designers have got across the values of the company in a way that makes the iMac a desirable item.
Bad: Dell Computers
The look of a Dell computer is very efficient and that's probably what they want consumers to associate with their brand. Although functional it is also boring and unexciting. Good design can make function look pleasing. It seems to be produced as cheaply as possible to allow the retail price to be low also.
Brendan Boyle, Graphic Designer, Boyle Design Group, graphic design IDEA Design Effectiveness Award 2002 winner
Good: National Museum Graphics
The logo devised by Design Works for the National Museum in Collins Barracks is very simple and easily identifiable to the public.
Whether it's used on posters or signs, it gets the message across quickly and has a craft look that is very appropriate for the museum.
Bad: Road signage system
The road signage system proposed and later shelved by Dublin City Council a few months ago was impossible for motorists to understand. There was just too much information to take in when driving. It was one of the worst public uses of graphic design. When graphics have to impart information, they should be very simple and very clear and this was anything but.
Barry Sheehan of Sharc Design and Sheehan Architects, interactive web site IDI Grand Prix Award winner
Good: Siemens Cordless Kettle
The Siemens kettle is compact, has a small diameter and rotates freely thanks to an attachment at the base. Design isn't just about appearance and while this kettle looks good, it is also very practical. The walls of the kettle are insulated so it never feels excessively hot to touch. It works with simple ease.
Bad - Siemens Toaster
This toaster is all form but not much function - good design should have both. It's complicated to use but the worst part is the pop-up device. Instead of a damped pop-up, the toast is fired out as if competing in the kitchen Olympics - the toast can land anywhere.
Designs on you: what's on, where and when
Design Showcase, until Nov 9th at Civic Offices, Wood Quay, Dublin. Admission free. Award-winning Irish graphic, product and fashion design from this year's Institute of Designers in Ireland Design Awards and the Graphic Design Business Association IDEA winners.
'Ten things people get wrong in design' on Nov 8th at National Museum, Kildare Street. Sir Christopher Frayling will close Design Week with this public lecture. Tickets €45 (booking on: 01 7167810)
Architects Association of Ireland Walking Tour, Nov 9th, 11 a.m. Meet at the construction site of the Dublin Spire on O'Connell Street.
IIustrators of Ireland exhibition at the Chester Beatty Gallery, Dublin Castle, until Nov 9th. For details of all events contact Design Ireland: 01 7167810
