The Corvette C6.R

(running the 24 Hours of Le Mans this weekend)

… things never to say during a design critique

(via Boing Boing)

The 2006 Subaru B9 Tribeca

(I really like the new Tribeca.  Yes, it’s definitely another example of jolie-laide, and I certainly suffer from ugly-car-itus, but I quite fancy this new Subaru.  Last year I wrote that "Subaru is the New Saab".  With the introduction of the B9, that sentiment has become aesthetically true:

The 1963 Saab 96

If you’ve been reading metacool for a while, you know how much I like Don Norman’s Visceral-Behavioral-Reflective model of design.  It’s a nice way to reach a deeper understanding of the design of things as varied as cars, jeans, and shopping bags.

Or even fingers (or more precisely, the lack thereof).  Here’s a great example of the importance of reflective design, from Joi Ito: Differences in the meaning of finger chopping in Korea and Japan

It’s fascinating how an absent digit can communicate so differently depending on cultural context.  Clearly, there’s more meaning in a missing finger than can be captured in its lack of visual presence (Visceral Design) and/or its functional absence (Behavioral Design).  Reflective design is about meaning and culture and is where things get interesting in the art and science of bringing cool stuff to life.

"I’m a storyteller.  I think of a designer as a processor of information — like a scriptwriter or a novelist."

– Freeman Thomas

Want some Suntour Superbe brake levers with a sprinkling of beausage?

eBay auction # 716160266
(no, it’s not my sale)

Okay, so it’s a neologism; that won’t keep me from liking the word beausage a whole helluva lot.

Here are some more examples of beausage (the beauty that comes with usage):

• Wrinkles on a grandfather’s face
• Gouges and dents on the bed of a 1955 Chevy pickup
• Wear patterns on a boot tread

Would love to hear about more beausage — leave a comment below with your own example.

The Lancia Flavia Sport

Jolie-laide: why worry about being beautiful when you could be interesting?

metacool:
In All Marketers are Liars you provide lots of examples of offerings with great stories. If we were to spend a day in your shoes, what are the great products with great stories that make up the life of Seth Godin?  What do you dig?

Seth Godin:
Even though I’m a little more attuned to marketing bullshit because
that’s what I write about, I still like to believe it. I like to
believe that food from the Union Square Market tastes better. I like to
believe that the small advantage in UI that the Mac delivers is cause
for joy. I like to believe that driving a Prius instead of a Lotus
Convertible is an important contribution to our planet’s longevity.

Psychology is filled with cleverly constructed tests that demonstrate
that even when people "know" the truth, they choose to believe a story
instead.

metacool:
I’m a big fan of Donald Norman’s book Emotional Design, and was
happy to see it on your recommended reading list in All Marketers are Liars. What’s the connection between Don’s thinking and your own?

Seth Godin:
I met Don at TED and was blown away at how deeply he understood the
‘why’ behind design. Not to make things pretty, but to build an
emotional story into what we do and how we feel about it.