i love Fabio's work!
nice ideas :)

Anything that has to have tits to sell, is hardly ever artful. I'm not saying impossible, just HARDLY ever.

The first few things I think of that apply across the board are...

Care and thought - not thoughtless, careless, or messy. It doesn't have to be original, but it shouldn't be completely unoriginal.

Aesthetically pleasing - not "on the edge" for its own sake, or comfortable without attention given to style.

Purpose - does it serve its purpose? If it's made to be beautiful, is it? If it's made to calm, does it calm? If it's made to organize or store something, does it do it well?

e.g. it's a city road or pedestrian walkway, does it look different than every other road? Is it beautiful? Does it function to move the traffic along it, but also help the traffic stop and interact with businesses along the way? Or is it a generic road that looks like crap and only serves to speed traffic along as fast as possible?

If it's a desk, is it thoughtfully designed for the people sitting at it? Is it a joy to look at? Does it provide for all the functions that need to be performed at that desk?

If those elements are there, I can recognize the value in good style, even if I don't personally like it.

I like the design of the second model better than the first.

Whenever I see good design, it's something like "Wow, I totally would have thought of that if they gave me a little bit more time." And let's be honest - I would have never thought of it, but I'm just saying. Good design makes me jealous.

I don't necessarily know exactly what it is about design that makes it good, but I think that for me, it needs to communicate the concept clearly and be functional while being clever and something I haven't seen before.

That's all.

That first photo took me to a weird, dark place. Please don't ever do that to me again, AT.

This is a timely post because today my landscape designer revealed the master plan for my property. Her design met all of our conflicting criteria but still comes across as simple, or even inevitable somehow.

I find that a lot of what is deemed "good design" is not always. A lot of great looking, but modern flatware tend to have slim handles, including the knives that are not comfortable to hold even they look beautiful so in that context, if it's not comfortable to hold (especially those without good grip) then what is the point of the design?

To me, good design should not only be beautiful and stylish to look at, but be practical for what it's intended use is and this is especially true of many consumer electronics, especially the cheaper models/brands often lack in this regard. And by that I mean, utilitarian looks, cheap materials and a poor layout and poor labeling and just not easy to use overall and good design should not be just for higher priced items, but for ALL items so those of us on very limited budgets can also have beautiful things that don't cost a lot to purchase (that are not necessarily disposable).

As to my aesthetic, clean lines, simple shapes, bright colors and more mod elements tend to grab my attention more than just about any other design style outside of the mid century aesthetic.

Good design doesn't create a need - It serves a purpose.
Good design neither eschews ornamentation nor does it include ornamentation for its own sake - Every element has a reason for being.
Good design doesn't pretend to be something it's not.
Good design doesn't follow trends - It sets them.
Good design is pleasing and well-balanced in form, mass, texture, material and color.
Good design does not require packaging, marketing or a multi-page instruction manual.
Good design is often imitated, occasionally equalled, yet rarely surpassed.

Grace and balance in form.

Attention to detail and proportions.

Good use of texture and color.

And what everyone else said.

Hey! how come that guy wasn't perched on that tiny chair in his skivvies?

Time reveals good design.

*bisous*
Dane
www.dane-caldwell.blogspot.com

Britomart used just the right word: inevitable.

Good design makes you wonder why no one thought of it sooner.

Dear Lord!! That first picture was a shocker!! I nearly fell OUT!!

Also, apparently, naked skinny gal = great design
Buff, bearded and clothed man = great design (or double standard)

Eeeep, make the scary lady go away!

Good design...well, there are things that are designed to be show pieces, and then there are things designed to be functional. For me, a good design will take a functional object and make it beautiful and pleasant to use.

Though the two often blend together, there is still a line between art and design, and that difference is practicality. No matter how pretty something is, if you don't want to use it for its intended purpose, there is something about it that is poorly designed.

I like looking at that chair and can appreciate it as an art object, but I would never have it in my house, because sitting in a big ol' face like that would give me the jibblies.

I loved reading everyone's own definition of what makes up great design - so insightful and well said.

To descend from the general to the particular for a minute, here's one thing I definitely believe: furniture that resembles any part of the human body is creepy. Couches shaped like lips, chairs shaped like hands or heads, are terrible ideas. Three dimensional puns are the worst kind.

form follows function.

The reason we love the Barcelona chair so much!

bepsf and Nicole_F already said it:

Form follows function. First is practicality, it needs to do it's job well and comfortably. (And, Nicole, I'm not so sure my Barcelona chair does totally qualify, I don't think it's very comfortable, really.) It needs to wear well, not break, not "age" gracelessly...

Then it needs to look great. Decorative elements need to feel appropriate and suitable for the materials. Heavy carving on victorian styled chairs, for instance, is appropriate in context. It flows. The same kind of carving on a sleek contemporary cabinet might seem ridiculous.

After that it starts to be a matter of taste. I find the face chair to be seriouisly kitsch. Someone else with a streamlined modern loft might find it a whimsical accent. To each his own.

I think there is a difference between art and design. Art is evocative and ambiguous. It takes you beyond what it is and makes you ask questions about what could be. Art is not always comfortable or beautiful, but it is always thought-provoking.
Good design doesn't need to be anything other than what it is. Good design is comfortable, easy, functional and beautiful, but it doesn't need anything more than that. In fact, to be comfortable, sometimes you don't want it to evoke anything else - like face furniture (not so comfortable for some people). Good design makes you appreciate the object or space for exactly what it is.

Beauty
Function
Innovation
Poetry
Wit
Problem-solving

Not necessarily in that order.

nightmare!

In furniture, tools, computer hardware and the like good design executes the designed item's intended function - perhaps in a new and innovative way - while drawing on notions of "beauty" as expressed by balance, proportion, mood, line, shape, color - etc (insert art class text book elements here). Being that beauty is a subjective notion that tends to be culturally defined, this is where the conversation becomes difficult.

Memorable, thought provoking, interesting design engages in cultural conversations about what it means to be functional (for example, does a can opener actually need to have a handle in order to function? Could it maybe do a better job without one? Does the lid have to come off the can for the can opener to "work"?) or what it means to be beautiful (Does a hook have to look like a hook or can it look like a dog's tail coming out of the wall or a bird with the hanging object in its beak?).

Good designs respond to the changing lifestyle and beliefs of an era, time or place in a way that enables new functionality and poses the question "In this time and place, for these people is this object still beautiful? Is it still functional?"

To go back to execution though - execution is not an optional feature of good design. The designed item must execute the function of the item, and do it well. If the chair isn't comfortable, if the knife doesn't cut, if the light is too dim, if the desk doesn't allow me to cross my legs beneath it the design is poor. If execution sucks then whatever the designer had to say about aesthetic or culture or function is wasted - and loses credibility.

Good design is equally useful and beautiful. And usefulness, in that context, includes it being sturdy and aging well, not just being well conceived. Of course both usefulness and beauty are subjective, depending on your preferences and needs.

I like Djluckyonline and ekg0123's descriptions. If something's got to have a naked woman in or on it to draw interest, it's not doing much on its own. And if it makes the artistically inclined jealous– good work.

I agree with the other's...creepy picture of the woman on the chair. Although, it did get my attention. I can always count on you to post some very interesting pictures. When it comes to design an old saying comes to mind...
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

never mind the chairs.. i can't get over how weird her boobs look!