Form & Content:

Form & Content:

 Good design is the one that pleases eyes, that is attractive, the one that is long lasted, that is good for the environment, is durable and affordable. Form and material from which the object is made plays an important role. The form has to be attractive where as the content has to be easy to use, and durable. 

In the movie Objectified the CEO & Founder of Smart Design, Davis Stowell gave an example of a peeler. That example shows that how form and content of the peeler relates to each other. The form of the peeler allowed an arthritis patient to peel a potato easily without hurting themselves, where as the content of the peeler helped the form to give best results. Another example is that of a garden scissors where the change in form made an existing tool much easier to use. The content of the scissors are not changed, but only the form of the handle is changed to suite the grip of the user. 

The example of the Japanese tooth pick shows that the form of the tooth pick can be inspired by different cultures where as the content remains the same as a normal tooth pick. A person who is not familiar with the culture will still be able to use the tooth pick since the content is there, but he may not be able to take the additional advantage that is provided by the form. (Japanese tooth picks have serrated tops that are broken off once they are used)

The example of the sports car showed that people are able to tell by looking at its form that it is a sports car, they don’t have to drive it to tell if its a sports car. In this example the form is related to the content. In the case of technological devices the form doesn't always relates to the content. Alice Rawsthorn (Design Editor, International Herald Tribune) gave an example that if a person from another planet comes to earth, but he will be able to guess what a spoon and chair are used for because of its simple form,  it will be difficult for him to tell what an Iphone or MacBook are used for by just looking at them. This shows that the modern electronics may have changed the direct relationship between forms and content.

These examples show that form is mostly inspired by ease of use, where as the content always addresses the real need.