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Author	Topic: IDSA survey: your response needed
Michael Doyle unregistered	posted 11-13-2002 07:16 PM Your opinion is requested! I'm developing the graphics for the 2003 IDSA [Industrial Designers Society of America] national conference, and would like to gather YOUR opinions. Scott Henderson of SMART Design is conference chairman and has posed the question "What is 'cool'?" or more specifically "What does 'cool' mean?" We all know that anything that tries to be cool is automatically un-cool, but there is certainly an aspect to any successful design which gives it 'coolness'. As Scott points out in his manifesto, the original iMac was decidedly cool, but the trend in translucent plastic which followed was anything but cool. We want to know what you think. Please include your city in the response, as the data collected will likely be mapped as a visual representation for the conference materials. Much thanks in advance, -Mike [Burnlab/Engram] IP: Logged
make love, not war unregistered	posted 11-13-2002 07:38 PM I am really uncool, always have been and have recently accepted the fact that I'm a complete loser. Does this make me cooler than the cool kids? I say yes. Cool is getting over an obsession with New York City and dealing with the fact that you live in Worcester, Massachusetts and learning to love it. Cool is saying to hell with the guy in the shiny shoes and kissing a different guy named Bagel with a belly who tells funny jokes at Vincent's bar. Cool is opening up ID magazine and looking at all that cool furniture and motorcycles and stuff and giggling at how ridiculous it all is. Ufo is cool cause he's crazy and likes to play with people. Timf is cool cause he lives in Raleigh-Durham and likes it and is probably the nicest guy you'd ever meet. Lauren g is cool cause she's so damn self controlled and knows it and doesn't even care what you think. We are all very very cool for posting to message boards. Cool is getting over the question "what is cool?" and just doing what feels good and cool to you. I am guessing you're from New York. I love New York and always will, but every time I go there it's just like, damn, the insecurity is overwhelming and kind of sad. Shuffling around at bars and air kissing. That aint cool. Sorry I couldn't help. IP: Logged
you tell me! unregistered	posted 11-13-2002 07:42 PM Main Entry: 1cool Pronunciation: 'kül Function: adjective Etymology: Middle English col, from Old English cOl; akin to Old High German kuoli cool, Old English ceald cold -- more at COLD Date: before 12th century 7 slang a : very good : EXCELLENT; also : ALL RIGHT b : FASHIONABLE 1 <not happy with the new shoes... because they were not cool -- Celestine Sibley> 1 : moderately cold : lacking in warmth 2 a : marked by steady dispassionate calmness and self-control <a cool and calculating administrator -- Current Biography> b : lacking ardor or friendliness <a cool impersonal manner> c of jazz : marked by restrained emotion and the frequent use of counterpoint d : free from tensions or violence <meeting with minority groups in an attempt to keep the city cool> 3 -- used as an intensive <a cool million dollars> 4 : marked by deliberate effrontery or lack of due respect or discretion <a cool reply> 5 : facilitating or suggesting relief from heat <a cool dress> 6 a of a color : producing an impression of being cool; specifically : of a hue in the range violet through blue to green b of a musical tone : relatively lacking in timbre or resonance IP: Logged
JD unregistered	posted 11-13-2002 08:10 PM In my opinion, the thing that makes any design "cool" or interesting and is when I see a design that challenges me to think about what I'm looking at, especially when there is more revealed to me the closer look. The further I examine it; there should be some level of intrigue and discovery. In contrast, if I see something that has simply replicated someone's theme or style it's a disappointment. I am much more interested in how the elements of a product have been composed and brought together in a uniform well-finished and thoughtfully pieced together idea, than I am with a something that was obviously copied from somewhere else or taken from another style. When a design is unique to it's purpose and has other appealing qualities such as material choice, a clever integration of components, the expense or inexpensive cost to produce it, its these other things (from the design process) that gives an object a identifiable personality that makes it cool. JD Pasadena, CA IP: Logged
Michael Doyle unregistered	posted 11-13-2002 08:22 PM Perhaps a clarification: Most of us cringe at the thought of considering 'cool' as a design criteria, and rightfully so. In my opinion, trying too hard dooms any design to failure. The word carries a lot of baggage, and is often wrongly associated with 'trendy' or 'style'. However, some designs generate an enthusiastic and positive emotional response, which can only be attributed to an intangible quality. When you pick something intriguing up at a store you don't say, "Wow... what great ergonomics." or "What efficient use of thermoplastics." (Okay, maybe you do.) Most people say, "Cool." So, its' not about trying to be cool, but what leads to cool. Maybe it's innovative use of materials. Maybe it's pure beauty. What is it about certain things that puts a smile on your face?... that connect in a way you may not understand? It may be entirely different in every case. Anyway, it's not my question, but it is the theme for next year's conference and has the potential for some great dialogue. The question is admittedly unanswerable and subject to opinion, but that's the point! :) Much thanks for the very honest answers so far. IP: Logged
CG unregistered	posted 11-13-2002 09:32 PM Cool is something I've always craved but never knew until I saw or used it. CG, Chicago IP: Logged
punk rock unregistered	posted 11-13-2002 09:52 PM clubbin girls in Japan have the coolest hair, and the coolest shoes. when people make their own clothes that light up and wear 'em to parties, that's cool. most of the stuff that looks like it is customized or one-of-a-kind is cool. my customized clear cellphone is freaking rad with flashing lights and "light my fire" ringtone- people dig it at parties, and I see more and more of 'em, it loses it's coolness IP: Logged
make love, not war unregistered	posted 11-13-2002 10:06 PM Ok, you probably don't want to hear from me again, but the clarification made me stop cringing about the question. There's two products that I can think of that I said "cool" when I got them. One was this red mixing bowl from Dansk and what made it cool was that it had a handle and spout and the handle was small and set very high on the bowl, so that half the handle was actually above the bowl (I looked for a picture to describe this better but couldn't find one). Anyway, because the handle was so high, when you tipped the bowl to pour out batter or whatever it weighted itself to make pouring easier. The way it felt when you did the pouring motion was really wonderful and smooth. I'm working backwards because these thoughts weren't going through my head at the time; I just thought, "Wow, that's cool, that's so great." It was just after that thought that I tried to figure out why I liked it so much. The other product was this makeup brush for blush that at first glance just looked like a very thin cylinder made out of aluminum. It had this little button hooked into a groove at the base and when you unhooked the button and pushed it up, the brush part emerged from the top of the cylinder. Again, the first thing that appealed to me was how simple it looked and then the clincher was this nice, modest surprise of the brush coming out. So maybe the thing that makes these two products cool is that they have a gimmick without appearing gimmicky. And also without appearing to have tried too hard. In a way, many products really do appear to be trying too hard. That's how I personally feel about the imac and all its transluscent plastic spinoffs. If I had to choose, I'd pick just a plain old dell or something because the imac is kind of blatant in its attempt to be hip. Another possible reason for that feeling is that everyone knows the imac and instantly recognizes it. I think products that are really cool are the ones that require a little bit of discovery, or the feeling of discovery on the part of the consumer, and also the feeling that they can integrate the product into their lives, rather than having the product be its own dominant element in their lives. And maybe what achieving all this depends on is how "cool" the designer is. Sense of humor without massive ego, restraint and imagination combined would be best. IP: Logged
joshrick unregistered	posted 11-14-2002 01:01 AM Creating something entirely unique. Turning trite trends & cliches into original ideas. Reassessing what failed and reconfiguring it so it works. The marriage of perfect form and perfect function. Most importantly though--keep your audience in suspense for something more....... ......the unspoken is powerful. IP: Logged
cd bcn unregistered	posted 11-14-2002 04:06 AM when you see, hear, experience something and the best response you seem to be able to come out with is monosyllabic (i.e. "whoah" "fuuuck") IP: Logged
murland unregistered	posted 11-14-2002 04:16 AM My wife and I have this little massager...pause for the giggles to subside...the other day I found myself being pleased, ahem, by the simplest detail about this little device. The battery door fits so perfectly and snug, and almost seamless. And when the door is slid off, the batteries also fit so nice and snug in the chamber. No batteries rattling around or ill fitting, ugly doors like so many portable electronics. Cool. IP: Logged
What it is not... unregistered	posted 11-14-2002 04:36 AM Cool = not mainstream IP: Logged
dawolfman666 unregistered	posted 11-14-2002 10:32 AM cool can be seen as many things... cool products have the "WowW" factor and then keep on wow'ing until u say "that’s cool...!" like the bowl, imac, customised clothes and even ahem shaky massager battery opening. but not all cool things have to be new...they can be classically cool...the Fonz?....but do things loose there coolness as they become mainstream....mmmmm....i guess so.....i bet flushable toilets were REALLY cool in there day but now pah...its nothing new. i think classical cool is products/things/objects/stuff will be first of there 'new' cool kind...cant think of any examples, but James bond is always cool and he always has cool stuff a nice cool car...DB5 especially. cool come to think of it is extremely vague and applies to so many things and aspects....its kida a general appreciation of the thing/product...........coz what is cool to a industrial designer "wow they put it all together with no screws and used a new material, that’s cool" to joe bloggs "mmmmm...it looks like a banana but its a phone...oooh that’s cool" So maybe cool just means an aspect or feature of a product that increases our view of it to a higher level. to say: Bob “that’s cool man!” Jeff “but why?” Bob “I dnno, its just cool” Jeff “yeah I guess so……yeah, its cool” Bob “yeah, cool” Jeff “cool” Bob and Jeff pause for cool thoughts Jeff “wana let go of my hand now” Bill “soz dude, its just too cool” Jeff “yeah I know” IP: Logged
bm unregistered	posted 11-14-2002 10:51 AM Cool is desire. Brooklyn, NY IP: Logged
cheeselog unregistered	posted 11-14-2002 11:12 AM Cool defined via the Simpsons: "Homer: So, I realized that being with my family is more important than being cool. Bart: Dad, what you just said was powerfully uncool. Homer: You know what the song says: "It's hip to be square". Lisa: That song is so lame. Homer: So lame that it's... cool? Bart+Lisa: No. Marge: Am I cool, kids? Bart+Lisa: No. Marge: Good. I'm glad. And that's what makes me cool, not caring, right? Bart+Lisa: No. Marge: Well, how the hell do you be cool? I feel like we've tried everything here. Homer: Wait, Marge. Maybe if you're truly cool, you don't need to be told you're cool. Bart: Well, sure you do. Lisa: How else would you know? " -Chicago, IL IP: Logged
Let go and you will find unregistered	posted 11-14-2002 12:01 PM Cool is unquantifiable Cool is relative Cool is infectious Cool is never outrageous Cool is never specific Cool is appeal Cool is aloof Cool is different Cool is constant Cool is never the same Cool is never too hip Cool is an atitude Cool is a feeling Cool just happens IP: Logged
Cyaxares unregistered	posted 11-14-2002 12:08 PM "what is cool" is a very shallow question for IDSA to focus on this year. In the 1990's, sure, but not now. IP: Logged
hehe unregistered	posted 11-14-2002 12:22 PM the word "cool" is in itself uncool...now its kewl! Tel Aviv, israel IP: Logged
Alaska unregistered	posted 11-14-2002 12:35 PM "Cool" is what got product design into the deep shithole it's now in and the low standing it has in the eyes of business and manufacturing. It's what has made this profession a playground for mostly effete, vacuous, self-important, urban twentysomethings unqualified for either science or art. "Cool" is what will never allow industrial design to reach the intelectual realms and societal influence of architecture and will ensure ID remains misunderstood, abused and concerned strictly with the transient. Alaska is cool. IP: Logged
too cool for words unregistered	posted 11-14-2002 03:45 PM Cool to me is confidence and authority in design It is about believing in the unknown and trusting your intuitive sense to create something of awe An underlying passion of the vast unkown, not being satisfied till it is past perfection- and then start over. IP: Logged
symbiont unregistered	posted 11-14-2002 04:17 PM Cool is... being born in SE Asia, growing up in the US, going back and building an global product empire. Understanding all technical specifications of assault weapons with out the need or desire to own a single one. Playboy going to Afganistan and bringing back a new style of female beauty from Kabul the world has never seen. Working productively in a team with a lesbian from Jersey, a student from Argentina, a fat white guy from the San Fernando Valley, a tree hugger from Houston,Texas, a homosexual latino from Mexico City, a stoic from Minnesota , an empassioned creative from Staten Island and a brilliant artist from North Carolina. Teaching to others what you have learned. Cool is the ability to appreciate something that you have never seen before and then expanding your mind to fit it in with everything else. IP: Logged
Diesel unregistered	posted 11-14-2002 09:24 PM Kool is to be at peace with your true image and beliefs. Kool is not to take the easy way out by buying your personality thru a clothing store or car dealerships - products created by marketeers to fool you into believing that you are someone when you are not and leaving you with less money that could be better used somewhere else. Is the Kool that you speak of just to perpetuate more of what I described above. IP: Logged
Michael Doyle unregistered	posted 11-14-2002 10:34 PM "Is the Kool that you speak of just to perpetuate more of what I described above." - Diesel I don't think the IDSA is looking for a specific answer, and is certainly not searching for a tangible formula which can be used to pump out 'cool' products. The point of the conference is really about looking at the intangible aspects of design which have a very real effect on end users. Next August some very influential professionals will be trying to answer this question from their point of view. I thought it would be cool to pose the question for public discussion, and utilize these responses as part of the conference materials. My main interest is in getting a range of honest opinions - there are no right or wrong answers. This is a big experiment in which the data will determine the final look. Hopefully the end product will be cool. ;) oh, and please remember to include your location. One of the potential interpretations involves mapping responses geographically. Thanks! IP: Logged
hmmm.. . . unregistered	posted 11-14-2002 10:52 PM core77 is not cool. please be comprehensive about you input and look into other sources in addition to this one . . . IP: Logged
Michael Doyle unregistered	posted 11-14-2002 11:13 PM Actually there is a mirror thread on Archinect.com and links to both threads on Computerlove.net [a graphic design portal based in Europe] and Burnlab.net [a deisgn and culture portal I operate as a sick hobby.] All have very different user demographics. Other suggestions would be much appreciated. IP: Logged
bOObs unregistered	posted 11-14-2002 11:16 PM "Cool" is that little rush of excitement your senses send to your brain. IP: Logged
Hugh Hefner unregistered	posted 11-14-2002 11:23 PM Hustler is not cool. IP: Logged
L. Flynt unregistered	posted 11-14-2002 11:24 PM Playboy sucks ass! IP: Logged
jerry@blackhagendesign.co unregistered	posted 11-15-2002 12:48 AM sleep is cool...and so is progress. the latter being what deprives my sleep. http://www.classicgaming.com/rotw/bezerk/ http://www.unrealchampionship.com/ online gamers can look for GENERAL Accuracy!a.k.a. RUSHING Accuracy %^ ) IP: Logged
Time on my hands... unregistered	posted 11-15-2002 06:13 AM "Cool" is, like so many other derived terms, very hard to define concretely, so why bother quite frankly? But I will say that Cool is like paradise and will always be lost. An instant, eye-catching, original and bold fashion statment, with little depth, that captivates the audience with a visual that is effemoral and is thereby destined to be deemed UnCool just as quickly as it became hip. Coolness is also cyclic, with time you may have a cool classic. Ordinarily it is funtional only at the moment in time for which it was designed; discardable like so much modern culture. IP: Logged
say what? unregistered	posted 11-15-2002 07:36 AM quote: Originally posted by Michael Doyle: Actually there is a mirror thread on Archinect.com and links to both threads on Computerlove.net [a graphic design portal based in Europe] and Burnlab.net [a deisgn and culture portal I operate as a sick hobby.] All have very different user demographics. Other suggestions would be much appreciated. Hey! Why are the computerlove readers "wonderful and intelligent" and we're not??? What the hell. Have to say though, the answers here are better than the answers so far on archinect...hee. IP: Logged
jerry@blackhagendesign.co unregistered	posted 11-15-2002 08:22 AM When I first moved to Florida, I posted an online personal ad just to meet some people. A girl I met and happened to date for little while was in the midst of starting a magazine for the Orlando hip-hop and underground music scene. A little over a year later her magazine is off the ground, she's got an IT background and designs / maintains her website, she's also a photographer, and now she's doing promotions for local music talent. Why is she cool? She moved out when she was a teenager, she didn't graduate from college, she lived out of her car, she just turned 21, and she's white. Yeah, she's pretty cool. www.ozonemag.com IP: Logged
jerry@blackhagendesign.co unregistered	posted 11-15-2002 10:13 AM Cyaxares "what is cool" is a very shallow question for IDSA to focus on this year. In the 1990's, sure, but not now. to cyaxares: Design a box. manufacture 20,000 of your boxes. If 20,000 of your boxes sat on a shelf because they weren't cool enough for someone to buy, whose fault would it be? Yours, because you failed to understand what it was to make something cool? Or the public the box was designed for who didn't see anything cool about your box? Most of our clients are in the medical industry and many of them come to us because they have boxes sitting on shelves with products designed to help people. What is cool isn't as shallow as you think. Granted, money is usually the bottom line to make something cool but, as a designer, there is a responsibility to understand ALL things related to the things we design. We make cool things but they don't have to be without substance. IP: Logged
VT ID unregistered	posted 11-15-2002 12:41 PM Finding stuff formerly known as cool in the dumpster is cool. Who loves I.D.? IP: Logged
VT ID unregistered	posted 11-15-2002 12:48 PM to Alaska Architecture is cool. The stuff inside is cooler! IP: Logged
Michael Doyle unregistered	posted 11-15-2002 01:07 PM "Hey! Why are the computerlove readers "wonderful and intelligent" and we're not??? What the hell. Have to say though, the answers here are better than the answers so far on archinect...hee" Heh. I thought they might need some sugar to come over to this site and post. Core readers are just as wonderful and intelligent.... sometimes. ;) Love you. The replies here are definitely better. Maybe because it's an ID topic? And thanks to Jerry for your volumous input. I don't think our friends at Archinect know what to make of your wind powered vehicles though. cheers IP: Logged
Michael Doyle unregistered	posted 11-15-2002 01:21 PM I don't want to get off topic, but speaking of Archinect, this is a great discussion thread: http://www.archinect.com/discuss_cgi/groups/1648.html IP: Logged
DR whore unregistered	posted 11-15-2002 06:05 PM quote: Originally posted by Michael Doyle: Perhaps a clarification: Most of us cringe at the thought of considering 'cool' as a design criteria, ..... Comming from a recent background in exhibits, COOL was quite often on the list of qualifiers from the client. Cool is trendy. Cool is now. Cool is of the moment. Cool is temporary, but then again so are most throw away consumables in our world right now. IP: Logged
PresidentEvil unregistered	posted 11-15-2002 09:27 PM Cool is clever, slick, accompanied by the shock of the new. Fades somewhat over time but never loses the inherent appropriateness of its solution to the problem it solves. Motorcycles often have it. My 30 year old Norton is still cool even when it stops working! IP: Logged
PresidentEvil unregistered	posted 11-15-2002 09:28 PM oops, San Francisco IP: Logged

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