Yes, But Does It Work?

DP over at the Gizmodo blog waxes lyrical about the Alessi lemon Squeezer designed by Philippe Starck. Yes, it does look very striking, I grant you that, but the key question is, does it work as a lemon squeezer? And the answer apparently is: “not particularly well” – and this from Starck himself.

Er, hello? Is it just me, or is this not serving the goal of design? Unless, of course, to serve the great God of Design means that one has to have Function sacrificed on the bloody altar of Form. And, of course, to stump up ridiculous amounts of cash for the privilege (the Alessi lemon squeezer costs $75).

What we are seeing here, of course, is the logical conclusion of the same forces that makes people buy branded bottled water instead of just drinking tapwater. Well, I say to hell with that.

Let me just pull aside the curtain of the little booth that is off to one side of the Great Oz for a moment. Here’s Rolf Jensen of the Dream Company Ltd., talking at a conference last year:

Society is changing from an information society to a dream society. We are moving from the rational computer society to a society of emotions and values. We are moving from the brain to the heart. The values of quality and price have been replaced by emotional values: Swatch watches are out, Rolexes are in; the simple lemon squeezer has been replaced by the elegant Alessi brand; tap water is out and branded bottled water is in. Products are not bought for rational but for emotional needs.

Well, bugger you, Mr. Jensen – I will continue to buy products that work well for the purpose for which they were designed – and if I don’t happen to end up paying through the nose for a branded piece of lah-de-dah shite, then I consider that to be an intelligent purchase.