Form & Content: Objectified

In the film Objectified, Gary Hustwit discuss the interaction between form and content. What determines form and how does form imply content? These questions are asked again and again throughout the film as it asks designers of different perspectives and culture to look the ideas behind design. As Hustwit asks the different personalities of the industrial design industries, the viewer begins to see how the product we see everyday take shape and the idea that made it the way it is.

As seen by the toothpick, the peeler, and so many other things, form is predominantly determined by the function of the object. And whether the purpose of the design is for maximum functionality, comfort, or aesthetic, the form must be seamless and fluid. One must able to use the design without thinking about it. The design must be able to bypass conscious thought and appeal to our subconscious and automatic actions. It is when the user cannot accept the design of form that we understand the design is flawed. To see the design as a design, one must remove it from its functionality and to do this without conscious thought would mean the design had no significance to begin with. Even if the design was meant for aesthetic appeal, if it serves a visual function, no question would arise about its purpose. It’s presence would be accepted and no further thought would be needed.

In the film, this thought is repeated over and over. The idea of the film seems to show that design is at its best when there is no perceived design. It shows that form is only an extension of content, and if one cannot determine one from the other, there must be something wrong.