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Sometimes I get annoyed when designers try to be too “tricky.” It doesn’t matter what the product is, if it’s designed poorly then it probably hasn’t achieved its goal. I don’t understand why so many magazines, websites, sound systems, shoes, etc all have to be some damn ugly!

Why is it that these days it’s actually refreshing to find something that’s beautiful? Surely all the industrial designers in the world don’t sit in their offices trying to come up with something that is so ridiculously obscure that they think it’s pretty? Surely not all of them?

I know objectors to this theory have two main points of criticism: functionality and design. Well, I think it’s safe to say that many poor products fail not only in their appearance, but also in their function. And that’s because it’s designed poorly! Design isn’t just about looks, it goes far further. A great example is the basketball hand-pump I bought the other day. The connection between the needle and the barrel is so weak that air escapes and I’m pretty sure that isn’t supposed to happen.

Cost is a short-sighted excuse too. What’s the point of designing a product that your customers and users don’t like? They certainly won’t buy another one (magazine subscription, basketball pump) and they’re quite likely to return it. That’s false economy as far as I am concerned; the product needs to be good! Also, going that extra step doesn’t really add that much more to the R&D costs.

There are some designers who buck this trend, fortunately. Everyone cites Apple for their design, but if you look around you’re bound to see something that catches your eye for it’s physical appearance, and functionality. I was fortunate to be waiting for a flight recently in an airline’s First Class Lounge. I ordered a hot chocolate and it was served in a wonderful glass, below.

Good design looks nice and performs well

It not only looks great but it keeps the contents warm and my fingers cool, all in one.

We try to take inspiration like this into the web applications that we build. We understand that our products need to be easy to use (we think they are, but tell us if we’re wrong) but they’re also built to look simple and appealing. We cover up the technical hoo-ha so the people using the products see something that’s beautiful. I guess that’s the difference between 2Large2Email and FTP.