NICHOLAS ODDY
HISTORICALLY GREAT DESIGN
I honestly found this one of the most interesting talks I think I’ve had at uni full stop. Especially when you compare it to the stuff at the University of Glasgow, Engineering can be so dull sometimes. Nicholas Oddy gave a brilliant summary of what he considers great design, covering a broad range of historical products that left me with lots to think about.
I enjoyed hearing him talk about the history of the ceramic cups from Wedgewood, and the first real example of brand identity. This is something we’ve been taught to carefully consider especially in the early years of our course. I often think of modern day branding and identity and haven’t given much thought to when this really started.
The Wedgewood ceramics were really interesting because this really was one of the earliest ideas of branding. We are so used to seeing it these days, relatively inexpensive objects marked up in price because of the brand. You can get a pair of trainers from Primark from a tenner, but a Nike pair would run you up close to one hundred. They serve the same function essentially, but you pay for the brand. This was one of the pioneers of that concept. The ceramic material is dirt cheap yet you pay for the markings and branding they designed. The idea that you must have them because that is what everyone else has.
He then turns to this obscure brown looking object. Almost reminiscent of some sort of modern pot. Made from the very same material, ceramics, with an entirely different context being used as an insulator. The same inexpensive material with an inexpensive context. It is an interesting form, you could display it in your house and it wouldn’t stand out. It is a great example of form following. The same material, but polar opposite designs and functions. Both great design in his eyes, and I would agree.