H-P moves beyond boring boxes – MarketWatch
Dvorak talks about skins for PCs and other boring industrial objects. I’ve never been a fan of design for the sake of design (well maybe during the New Wave 80s). With products, I’ve always loved design that had an inherent functional need. A case in point regarding both statements is the new Nike Air Zoom Hayward.
I love the design of its two-piece sole. First, there’s the Phylon midsole (the gray area) with the full length Zoom-Air insert, then there are sections instead of a single piece of Phylite (the red area) which decreases the weight and increases the flexibility of the sole. I ran in the shoe for the first time yesterday, and it’s a worthy update to the Air Skylon with it’s light, cushioned ride. The design for design’s sake feature with the show are the plastic glue-on pieces which make the outside of the shoe look like a topographical map. For the life of me, I cannot figure how they could have any functional purpose. The shoe would have had a much cleaner look without those pieces, but I guess it wouldn’t have looked as cool.