Colin responded to my question proving for the first time, but not for the last time, his easygoing dominance. I'm nervously excited about what he might ask me.
Having read the post, Martin pointed me to the Gizmodo article that's been making its way around that compares the Apple catalog to the Dieter Rams Braun catalog from the 1960s.
What this discussion pointed out for me is that there are some absolutes in great design. And, in some cases, that some great designs have defined the absolutes. Designers are inspired by one another and self-referential and that technology lets that inspiration spread, and fast. So fast inspiration matters, but that history repeats itself.
Truly amazing craftspeople learn about and play with and tug at these absolutes. And as a layperson relative to their fields (graphic design, industrial design, writing, plastic injection molding engineering, computer science), it reminds me why I seek out and respect knowledge expertly applied. It's another argument for depth of craft, amplifying mastery of a subject and respecting differences in differences and approaches.
