EMOTIONAL FORMS

There is no question that we continually search for new forms. These might take the shape of a watch, a phone or a building. But as enclosure designers we truly are searching for novel and relevant forms.  That’s the whole point, itsn’t it?

And we want these forms to be emotional. We want an emotional connection to take place between the enclosure, the building, the phone and the person who is using it. I submit that it truly is this emotional connection which creates the lasting value both to the individual user and to our culture. It is the emotional connection which keeps a house in a family for generations. And you don’t have emotional ties without good design.

I always think back to the mid 70s Triumph TR7 with it’s wedge shape. The ad stated “The Shape of Things To Come.” And this was a very novel and new form in the shape of an automobile. The wedge shape was rationalized to be aerodynamic, create more downforce, etc. Yet it was a new and exciting form. There was an emotional component which was and remains compelling. And this is just one example of form / product design that remains a benchmark in our design history.

It is important to remember that the users of our creations are continually projecting emotions onto our forms. And it is these emotions which form the bond between the form / object and the user. When we say that people buy in to our designs, we are really describing an emotional buy in.

I have yet to hear the word emotion used in an architectural review session. Possibly emotion is used more in a product design setting.

We have been tracking some of the aspects of the designer / client interface. A bit ago, we talked about the actual fear that clients have when confronted with something unfamiliar.

Our clients hurt when confronted with the unfamiliar.

So let’s add to this same category emotional forms. Because one of the things that we really are doing is trying for and hoping that there will be this emotional connection. As they say on the TV, when you have that, the value is priceless.