Had some ol’ Aggie friends visit from Houston last weekend. I’ve always considered myself fortunate to have them in my life. One of their moms sent this really cute rattle over that blurs the line between old school wooden toys and modern day sleek and minimalist design.
It’s in a sort monochromatic color scheme; light woods and trendy grays. The circular build is calming and doesn’t pose threats to caught corners with little fingers or other painful blights. Neither do the rattle components, harnassed away in their own prisons and restraints. Even the clacking sound when the small, crafted discs hit the tops and bottoms is calming – it kind of reminds me of those rain sticks people have in their corporate office next to their plug-in fountains; an attempt at holistic solitude in a bustling environment of papers and files and harsh fluorescent lighting.
Part of me absolutely dreaded having kids because of all of the obnoxious toys that come along with them. All the very loud colors and loud noises and everything that smiles too much.
Too many smiles just feels like mockery.
I foresaw myself insisting they don’t make replacement batteries for those particulars; and I always fear my sister will gift my kids a drum set… tambourine… or other obnoxious thing.
But this toy is calming to me – the baby doesn’t even notice it. Granted, he’s only 7 weeks old and most likely inherited really poor eyesight from both of his parents.
It got me thinking – Is this design by guidance of the designer, in this case, the decision making parent, or the end user audience, the baby?
There are, of course, arguments on both sides:
Pros for Design by the Designer:
1. More often than naught, the designer knows better. In this case, the parent absolutely knows best what to give and take away from the baby.
2. They know more about what makes a functioning product and experience and keep up with latest trends, casualties, and standards in performance.
3. They have more professional resources.
4. They have the chops and independent influence to really set you apart and above your competition.
5. They help you take your idea to the next level, and help you avoid mistakes.
Pros for Design by the End User:
1. They are the audience. They may be in touch with their audience more and knows what their audience will respond to (which is the only reason I can think of for this masturbating cow logo)
(seriously what else could that possibly be) (also – WHY).
2. They fulfill the bill. Sometimes that means they get to call the shots.
Obviously, I believe in design by the designer; however it would be remiss of me to not admit I have produced work last year that was exactly what the client wanted… but there is always middle ground to be found.
