Not just another documentary
Finally, Objectified arrived in SD. Joe and I along with Erika and John from Delphine, went to Museum of Contemporary Arts in La Jolla to watch the premiere, presented by the local AIGA SD and Gary Huswit, the director of the film.
Gary Huswit, Director of Objectified
Objectified is a documentary design film directed by Gary Huswit, whom also directed Helvetica.
About Objectified (excerpt from it’s website):
Objectified is a feature-length documentary about our complex relationship with manufactured objects and, by extension, the people who design them. It’s a look at the creativity at work behind everything from toothbrushes to tech gadgets. It’s about the designers who re-examine, re-evaluate and re-invent our manufactured environment on a daily basis. It’s about personal expression, identity, consumerism, and sustainability.
What we love:
It’s about time that we address product design, consumerism and the responsibilities the impact designers have in our world. I am not going to give away the content of this movie, as I encourage you watch this film yourself. But we loved the part where a really great designer from one of the most innovative companies in the world, questions and ponders how the products he had designed in the past are now probably in landfills. It’s a very rare look at the truth and struggles which we designers have: what to design, how to design, and what impact our designs/products have on our environments and society. The film offers us insightful discussions from various speakers on the need our of greedy society to constantly produce, buy and make; and the definition of good design and the experience it creates.
Movers and shakers on Objectified
Joe and I walked away feeling like someone has finally put into film, what we’ve been internally discussing for the past few years, on consumerism, consumption, waste, questioning the functionality of products we produce for our label as well as our clients.
As designers, I think we owe it to our society and ourselves, to really evaluate the importance of design, the experience we create and the impact we have on our environment. I know it’s a constant battle to balance “making money” versus ethics and principles. But I think if we don’t question that at all, we are only deceiving ourselves and our clients, as true good design has to stand through time.
This film is part of a design trilogy. Gary did not give away his third film will be about, but I personally hope it will be either of the following; sustainability, ux (user experience) or design for humanity.
Go see Objectified. Share with us your take on it.
Objectified Poster
