Objects of Design

From a design perspective, certain elements stand alone. They cause you to pause for reasons beyond appearances—something about the form, the logic, or even the narrative behind them just feels right. Good design has a propensity to reveal itself—sometimes in the most basic items hiding in front of us—which is why architects and designers notice these things. Andrew and I chose a few of these things that capture what gives design purpose today. Some have polished stories; others are somewhat messy; yet, all of them reflect the kind of thought that keeps us interested in how things are created.

Some items distinguish themselves from a design point of view. They have you stop for reasons beyond appearance; something about the shape, the reasoning, or even the narrative behind them just feels correct. Because great design exposes itself, usually in the most basic items concealed in plain sight, architects and designers see these things. Andrew and I each chose a few of these things that capture what gives design purpose today. Some have sophisticated narratives; others are a little chaotic; but all of them reflect the sort of thinking that keeps us interested by how things are made.

Andrew and I are looking more carefully at a few things that have value for us today; maybe, in some sense, they will also have value for you. These tales connect these ideas to something greater than their function and make this discussion worthwhile. Few things have as silently changed how we live and work as QR codes. Most of us don’t even see it anymore: a matrix of black and white squares hiding a cosmos of information, its beauty ambition so stripped.

Tasked with resolving a deceptively simple issue, Masahiro Hara, a young engineer at Toyota’s subsidiary Denso Wave, created the code in 1994. Hara searched outside his field for ideas and discovered them in the ancient board game Go, a grid-based system founded on balance, contrast, and endless variety. From that spark emerged the two-dimensional “Quick Response” code, able to store more than 7,000 digits of information and legible from any angle even in case of partial damage.