But is it memorable, darling?

So I went to the Montreal Fine Arts Museum yesterday to see the “American Streamlined Design: The World of Tomorrow” exhibit. The focus was the 1930’s and how the “streamlined” aesthetic still influences products today (e.g. nike shoes, motorcycles). It was mostly industrial design and furniture. Lots of bullet-shaped objects, especially car accessories (tail-lights and fins). Everything was called the Something-o-matic: vacuums, juicers, drills, motors, you name it. All state of the art at the time.

I was struck by how much thought was put into the aesthetics of technology back then: radios made of rounded polished walnut; none of this hard black plastic crap with sharp unfriendly edges. When did we settle for ugly objects?

And then I saw something that stopped me in my tracks. There beneath a dim light, enshrined in glass to protect it from grubby mitts, was the Auto-desk Address Book that my father bought to simplify our busy household. A system of rolladex-like cards encased in an avocado-green bakelite container. To access the addresses, we would slide a button to the alphabet letter we wanted, press another button and – ping! – it would open to reveal a card with all those addresses on it. We were mightily impressed. We played with it incessantly. And here it was… in a museum.

It’s one thing to know intellectually that technology is always on the move, and that the hot tech toy of today is tomorrow’s doorstop. It’s quite another to see a familiar object from your childhood entombed for posterity.

So now I wonder, of all the gadgetry we prize today for its promise of efficiency and speed, how much of it will be admired or remembered with fondness? Which objects will find their way into museums? Not the average modern PC, I can tell you. There’s no beauty in its form. It’s all hard unforgiving angles and clunky heavy lines. Best not to draw too much attention to it, wouldn’t you agree?

Ah, but what about the iMac? Or the Apple laptops, with their smooth white/silver rounded cases, ambient-light sensing keyboards that light up in dim settings, and softly pulsing white logo to indicate sleep mode? This is the result when beauty (form) is as much a priority to engineers as function. And you just know the iPod will be a star attraction one day. It’s already in the Museum of Modern Art.

Need I go on? Oh, why the hell not. Compare todays‘ servers and printers to the original Olivetti typewriter. Imagine the joy and energy a writer felt when approaching this little beauty. It’s red, for God’s sake! You have to love it. Thank God for the Italians and their love of fun and style. No dreary beige for them, thank you. Tomato red instead.

So here’s my pitch. There’s no reason why our offices (and homes) should be stuffed with ugly machines. If you’re willing to buy a sleek mountain bike or designer kitchen appliance based on its visual appeal, why not invest in beautiful objects for your office as well? Why separate the two worlds when you have to spend time in both? Find a really beautiful in/out tray, or make your own. Get a lamp with some character (craigslist or eBay). Forget family photos, find some art. Or arrange a collection of something you love (screws, champagne corks, shells) just because it makes you happy.

And when it’s time to spend money on a work tool, whether it’s a laptop or a logo, vote for something that will stand the test of time, something that will make you smile with pride each time you see it. You will never regret it.