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911 design impact: Boxy, "safe" design: A 9/11 design impact
Posted 05.01.06 by William Bardel
We see a continued ripple impact of 9/11 on the world of design. As you may have noticed, the current trend in design form is "boxy" and "safe." In America, there is a lingering feeling of public insecurity in response of 9/11 and the continued "War on Terror" in Iraq and Afghanistan. Consequently, people find protective designs appealling, as evidenced in automotive design (Hummer, Dodge Magnum, and Jeep). Further examples show this trend played out in other fields, such as "SUV" watches and furniture, with characteristics of stability and security having the most perceived value.
In automotive design, this shift is particularly interesting. Car manufacturers were initially leaning towards more fluid rounded forms that suggested aerodynamics, but in 1999 a few manufacturers such as Pontiac began to experiment with a return to the use of sharp angles with vehicles such as the Pontiac Aztec (which involved a radical shift from using clay to foam to prototype the vehicle body). As a result of 9/11, however, the market's appeal has continued to swing further towards more protective "cages".
We predict that the pendulum will swing again within the next three years towards design where characteristics of lightness and openness are again in vogue.
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