I think the problem here is that so many products that are now on the market aren't actually designed in the way that the article was talking about. The article critiqued designers who are designing pieces that are more like art than furniture. Of course, this a a product of their design school background that did not expose them to the manufacturing industry. The 21st century drive to always be ahead of the curve has produced young designers more interested on coming up with aesthetically unusual designs as opposed to functional pieces that are less visually stimulating. As a result, as the article discussed, designer pieces are often more fit for museum exhibits than people's homes.
But these designer pieces are such a small part of the market. The vast majority of products, while technically designed in the sense that someone makes practical decisions deciding what the product will do, what it will be made out, and what colors it will come in, the true design process does not take place. Profit, not form and function, is at the forefront of the production process. Therefore, on both ends of the spectrum, one half of the equation is left out. The designers overlook manufacturing necessities while the manufactures disregard design.
Kartell Lamp that is in my livingroom http://www.slideproductions.com.au/IMG/prodotti/lightning/Bourgie%20Table%20Lamp/Kartell%20Lamp.jpgIn my home, there are many things made my danish designers that work beautifully, such as Georg Jensen silverware, a Kartell Lamp, and a Bang and Olufsen stereo system. However, I think all of these products represent a successful merging between designer and manufacturer and their high price tag reflects this dedication of both function and design. On the other hand, cheaper danish products that I have used, such as the bottle opener from Tiger may look relatively attractive, but are nowhere near as functional. It is objects like these that display the discord existing between manufacturing and design. But that is not because the designers do not understand how to create a functional bottle opener. It is because, in an effort to cut costs, manufacturers have cut designers out of the process entirely.
Bottle Opener from Tigerhttp://www.tiger.dk/uploads/t_product/1600355_picture_8446_3.jpg
What needs to happen then is manufacturers need to recognize the importance of designers for the creation of quality products. But designers also need to understand that making good design means more than creating a name for yourself through wildly avante-garde designs. Therefore, both huge profit margins and self-centeredness need to be somewhat abandoned for the creation of quality work. Anyway, it seems that people or companies that create quality products are the ones that experience the most longevity - not the ones that create the cheapest goods or the ones that have the flashiest designs.
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