Interaction of Content & Form in OBJECTIFIED

Although I couldn't make it to our showing of Objectified, I have seen this documentary several times before. In the film, industrial designers and product designers explain how they perform the design process and give brief overviews of their designs. These include fairly basic everyday items which people take for granted, but in the film, each designer brings the viewer to the more complex conclusion that almost every thing in our everyday discourse is designed.

One particular item that especially makes an impact in the film is the re-design of the fruit/ vegetable peeler. The design group who re-made the peeler went through many iterations of the design; including different styles of handle, materials, proto-types, etc.

A common theme throughout the film is the notion that designers should always and are always asking questions, for example "why is it like that?". This big question is at the core of why innovative designers and design firms are able to create such powerful yet subtle modifications to items that consumers already use. To be able to recognize a market, or a product that isn't performing to a high enough standard, then to completely re-think that product to increase use and change how people live.

The film encourages people to think more often about everything they come in contact with on a daily basis, and how the design of these objects affect how we live our lives.