Monday, October 18, 2010

Design As A (Gleeful) Conversation

Courtesy of eonline.com
    
 The combination of Lady Gaga and Yoko Ono makes for a a nice (but weird) musical conversation: one between the past and present, between the boomers and generation X. During this era of music, many types of conversations like that are going on, as music keeps evolving, referring more than ever, to the past.
    Dozens of radio hits sample old songs; these days artists couldn't do without it and some rely heavily on it. Flo Rida's dance hit "Right Round" stole from another 80's dance hit: Dead or Alive's "You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)." Passion Pitt's energetic electronic "Sleepy Head" sampled a vocal from an Irish Folk song.
What if those samples had just stayed in the past? We'd just be looking back at them as another "cheesy" 80's song, or an obscure folk song, instead of them being kept alive in the conversation, relevant and newly appreciated. Take the show Glee: it has spawned more Top 100 hits than the Beatles and nearly all of the songs are old hits they have adapted for a chorus with a pop sensibility. Every time their version of the song shows up on the charts, the original sees an increase in downloads too. Whether or not Glee is a good show, a younger generation gets more exposure to the past and experiences a renewed appreciation for these old songs. 
    The point is, for the sake of keeping good design alive we should always intrude upon sacred ground, otherwise that sacred ground becomes collects dust and is put on a pedestal, where it is mourned for a greatness that will never be matched. Referring to, stealing from, and being inspired by idols of culture and design keeps the conversation alive, otherwise they lose their value and turn into an archaic cliche. A great achievement in design is not just said and done, it should keep evolving with the times so younger generations can appreciate it and benefit from it.
    These days, with the internet exposing everyone to good design, it is almost impossible for a designer to deliver a monologue with product reviews, and people blogging, twittering and facebooking their opinions on the online community. Whether designer like it or not, by designing they are forced to enter the conversation.

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