Objectified: Form and Content

What is content and form? And what do they have to do with one another. Content is the idea conveyed through a piece while form is the shape and structure of the piece (according to Lauer and Pentak from Design Basics). In the documentary film, Objectified, director Gary Hustwit shows his audience the world of Industrial Design. In the everyday world, the idea that everything we use and see that is man made was designed. Typically, for me anyways, we will see an object and not give a second thought as to how it came to be; of course it’s here, of course it's like that. Tooth picks, bowls, spoons, etc. are overlooked and taken for granted, and industrial designers remain forgotten.

Let's consider how content can apply to industrial design as illustrated in Objectified. Content can be the functionality and purpose of an item, but in a more specific way than usual. Consider a peeler (such as for potatoes), it is one thing to have simple peeler that is meant to peel various foods. However, the purpose may extend further, such as when ergonomics are applied. Ergonomics refers to something that is well-designed, user-friendly, comfortable, and safe. The example in Objectified showed ergonomics applied to a peeler and spread to other tools. Here, the peeler was altered to cater to the needs of arthritic users. This altered the form of the peeler by introducing an new aspect to the content. The form was changed to be more comfortable for users of the peeler because the content changed by adding concern for the user's comfort to the intention rather than just having a basic peeler.

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