Objectified by Gary Hustwit

Do we ask ourselves why an object is made like it is? I didn’t until recently. I took for granted every item I used, from a pen to a computer, until I saw the movie Objectified. The movie helps viewers to understand the purpose of designers and how they impact the society.The director, Gary Hustwit, communicates his argument that contemporary designers and design emphasizes mass production of product more than before.

Hustwit communicates his inquiry through a collage of interviews with well-known designers like Alice Rawsthorn, Andrew Blauvelt and others. In the film Rawsthorn explains how the goal of designers was in the past to create or alter a product in order to satisfy society’s needs. This movie shows society a way to communicate with designers. It demonstrates to us how each item that we are used to seeing and using involves a long process and designer expertise to arrive at the final product we know. One example is the toothpick shown by Andrew Blauvelt; he explains that the toothpick design came from Japanese designers. These designers created a multifunctional purpose for the toothpick, since it not only includes the normal functions of the toothpick, but it also fulfills other purposes like breaking the top off the toothpick and using it as a toothpick stand. I just learned this little detail from watching the movie; it was really interesting because we take for granted that designers just decided to create a really small and slim stick that we can use to enhance our dental hygiene, when it is much more than that.

In the movie, Hutwit demonstrates how design in a contemporary period has evolved through time. It is now focused on a elaboration of mass production (which I think is mainly influenced by the global marketing and capitalism). Design now is in a constant inner war that keeps looking to enhance the "new design" to even a "newer design" to a "newest design," and creating a non-cyclical chain that might not come to an end, because we as humans will always search for perfection. This assumption has been proved by the way designers are always in search of improving existing items, like the potato peeler shown in the movie. It evolved from a metal piece with a simple design, to a more "sophisticated" version that includes a plastic handle that will be more comfortable to use and thus improve the experience of peeling potatoes.

Hutwit's film, Objectified, shows how design is a complex field, where the correlation between the end products of designers and society are closely related. Additionally, it instructs people in society to be more aware and more curious about their surroundings.