Influencers of the Modern Objects

Design is often an enigmatic thing. What constitutes design? Is it how something looks? How it feels? How it smells? Well, it is all these things and more. 

Design encompasses the plans or specifications for a certain system or product and the development of both the general and finer aspects of said system or product. When discussing design, one talks about what the senses will perceive and what it means to people on a deeper level. That meaning changes based on time, perspective, and many more factors, as the design is embedded in and indebted to society.

Society influences design, and design influences society. This is a mutual influence that cannot be denied. Many objects we use these days are products of evolution and these influences. Culture, education, politics, and many other factors greatly influence how things are designed, as what may work for one society may not work for another. An example of this would be the menu at Mcdonald's. Mcdonald's failed in Indonesia initially because the menu consisted entirely of burgers, a food menu Indonesians needed to familiarize themselves with. It wasn’t until they introduced fried chicken, similar to their competitor, KFC, that Indonesians started familiarizing themselves with the fast food giant’s menu, thus introducing burgers to Indonesia. This is one example of how the design of a food product can influence and be influenced by culture.

A cultural hero in any form can influence a product significantly. These “cultural heroes” can be films, television series, music, books, politics, and even significant historical events. Anything that has had an impact on the culture as a whole can influence design, trickling down from different sectors to affect the way designers think and the way consumers perceive as well as need things. A bench in your dining room today could’ve used to only exist in street stalls, decorating those places where you get greasy, oily, delicious unhealthy food. 

The broadcast of a human’s first step on the moon shifts the market to wear neo-futurist-looking products. Many products were inspired by the moon landing as the public’s fervor for the event reached an all-time high. You had pop culture heroes such as The Jetsons who took inspiration from what was seen as futuristic at the time. Some of the most prominent design trends that emerged were “Space Age” design and “Googie” architecture

Ball Chair by Eero Arnio 1963, Image Source : Eero Aarnio Originals

“Space Age” design refers to a period of design where everything seemed to be influenced by the race to the moon and the eventual moon landing that resulted. You had buildings with satellite shapes and cars with chrome detailing as well as ornamental tailfins to make them look like what rockets were imagined to look like, all in the name of a futuristic aesthetic. Sleek, curved shapes were in vogue, intended to simulate what we thought the future would look like, a stark contrast to the angled, boxy products that preceded the space race. Plastics were also considered cool for their malleability and diversity of use while giving products a distinct sheen and glamour. Perhaps the product most indicative of Space Age design was the ball chair, a chair shaped like—you guessed it—a ball. Frequently used in films such as Men in Black, though it came way before such films, the ball chair was a fixture in then-modern, no-retro homes that wanted to espouse the distinct Space Age style.

Union 76 Gas Station designed in 1960 by Gin Wong, a partner in the firm of William L. Pereira and Associates, for Standard Oil, Los Angeles, Image Source : Flickr

Theme Building LAX by Pereira & Luckman Architects, Paul Williams and Welton Becket Image by Darren Bradley

Googie architecture was another strand of design that emerged due to the space race and moon landing. This style of architecture was popular for motels, diners, gas stations, and cafes, with the widespread use of glass, steel, neon, and geometric shapes. Googie architecture was also a result of more commuters, thus requiring buildings to attract said commuters, so they embraced a futuristic and optimistic style to achieve this. Much like Space Age design, Googie architecture showcased curves and bends, with bright neon lights and reflective chrome to capture the attention of passersby by emulating futuristic visions of what spaceships would look like.

In Indonesia, television is still one of the biggest influencers. While streaming and social media have wrestled away much of the nation’s attention span, television is still extremely popular and a determiner of pop culture. What you see on television is often repeated through the visual design language of the country. For example, since politicians often broadcast their campaign visuals on TV, Indonesians can see their influence reaching posters and branding of street stalls to medium size retail shops. This is the reason behind what is often considered the “ugly” aesthetics of Indonesian design, with bold, colorful fonts that often stand in stark contrast to background colors and misplaced pictures, often in formal poses. These are all characteristic of campaign posters by many Indonesian politicians, influencing the simple, often seemingly low-effort branding and visuals of street stalls and small businesses such as print shops and auto shops.

Advertising Columns in front of the Communications and Information Ministry, Image by Dhoni Setiawan

Campaign Poster “2019 Change The President” in Poso, Image by Siti Nurhayati

However, there are characteristic vernacular design language cues in Indonesian culture. For example, Indonesians’ love for the radio encouraged the emergence of Magno’s products, featuring old-time aesthetics and a classic radio look. Another example would be the design of Every Collection’s Ba Stool. Taking cues from classic bakso stools found in the street, Every Collections updates the characteristic red, blue, and green plastic of classic bakso stools into a tasteful wooden stool that showcases modern taste and style. These products prove that Indonesian visual language and culture can be adapted into a more modern and hip style.

When we want to improve the look of modern Indonesian objects, we have to start by influencing other factors. The root of design, after all, is culture, and culture informs design language and vernacular immensely. To take apart design and influence it into what we consider “better” and “modern” requires influencing the people who shape the culture, tapping into that pulsing node of what’s in and what’s current, and pushing it in the direction we want. Developing a new visual language on a large scale requires time, effort, and the ability to dictate cultural tastes.

Ba Stool designed by alvinT for EVERY Collection

Traditional Bakso Stool