is vintage the new retro?

This is a 1978 Casio J-1 calculator that my nan recently passed on to me. What can I say…”I love it!”

There has been an explosive trend recently towards all things old. We used to call this retro, but now as the technology we use seems so far removed from that which we were using only 10-15 years ago (I had a Nokia 8210 12 years ago), products of the 70s and 80s are termed ‘vintage’. Is this because of how low fidelity they are compared with the smart phones and tablets we are now using? This is what attracts me; the opportunity to break free from that screen based interaction and experience and appreciate much more tactile objects.

There is a refreshing contrast between on the one hand; our obsession with paradigm shifting technology and on the other; the desire to ride around on low tech bikes, make bunting, and use instagram to see our world from a different lens, a much older one.

I believe this desire for these vintage products and artefacts is hard wired. These are products that we would have experienced as children and which we are familiar with and have grown up with. My reaction to products that I experienced as a child (made between 60s and 80s) are instinctive, natural and familiar. And now as my children progress from primitive wooden toys to electronics I want them to experience this too. I think it is important for their development, to progress from low to high fidelity.

My son knows exactly what to do with a smart phone to unlock it and look at the pictures but I want him to experience the growth I did with these products as the technology evolved.

This is a Realistic Concertmate 350 from Tandy/RadioShack, circa 1980, I recently got for my son from eBay.

It would be easy to download garageband and for him to use the piano and guitar ‘screens’ to play with music, but I want him to experience the physical first as I did. He will use both in time and I will encourage this.

#The circuit bending movement is interesting. Not all iPads in the contemporary music world right now.

Coming back to my question. Yes I think just as retro was a trend in the early 21st century, this has evolved into the current vintage trend and we have seen nostalgia embrace even earlier years. I believe this trend is not just a fashion fad but a natural draw towards culture and products that we have experienced before, if only subconsciously as children.

iPad 2

So I finally got one. Wow! Review soon…

…No need to review, tonnes on the web. It’s great and has changed home and mobile computing. My MacBook has not been switched on in weeks

no brainer?

with thanks to the real nappy information service www.goreal.org.uk for this image

Time for a non-design entry…although when I think about it, design has a lot to do with our choice to use real nappies. Our little boy has been in cotton nappies now for his entire first year and I love them…here’s why.

Waste: They are the perfect way to catch it….no seriously, in this country alone we dispose of 3 billion nappies annually to land fill. This is my number one reason for choosing real nappies over disposables, they produce significantly less waste. Councils seem very keen to reduce the amount they send to landfill too and at the time we purchased ours they gave us £50 towards the cost to encourage their use.

Cost: So with councils helping towards the upfront cost of buying real nappies you can pay less than £100 (and better if you get a deal) to see your child through to potty, compared with the approx. £1000 you will spend on disposables.

Energy: A disposable nappy uses far more energy in production than a real nappy and is made from process intensive synthetic materials filled with chemicals which are not altogether harmless to your child.

Design: The real nappies we decided on are made from 100% cotton and are designed to last from day one to potty. This is the same cotton I was wrapped in when I was a boy but this is where design has made a difference. The nappies are fitted (so no fancy folding required) which makes them really comfy, there are no pins just simple easy to use poppers, leaks are contained by stylish waterproof covers (ah…these are not cotton but you only need a few!) and best of all they now look great with levi’s style tags on them so you don’t forget who sold them to you!

Use: Once you get used to them they are as easy to put on and off as disposables albeit they take a little longer if you have separate covers like we do.

So they are better for the environment, cost you less, are more natural, comfy and stylish, and can be reused for more than one baby…so why are they not more popular?! You have to wash them….

Their one down side is the washing! We all hate laundry and with real nappies this is unavoidable. Come on parents, kids are messy and the washer is always on, it is just one of those things you get used to with real nappies and as long as you remember to do it and don’t run out of clean ones there is no problem. We use ecoballs, which means the cost of washing is practically nothing and we don’t need detergent. If I was being really eco-friendly we would harvest the grey water from their wash cycle and use that in the garden…not got that far yet!

let’s get physical…

The internet hosts an ever increasing amount of content, with web server space predicted to reach capacity soon, but I still have a strong relationship with my favourite printed media….newdesign magazine.

I started to receive newdesign as a student when they would happily send you a free copy to try and get you hooked…it worked. I now have a near complete collection (bar issues 1-7) which I can’t quite bring myself to buy as back issues at £10.95 a pop…a little over indulgent and obsessive just so I would have them all!

The design of the magazine itself is enough to make me want to collect them. The thick grade matt laminated cover pages with the title header changing colour every issue makes them all unique on the outside. The ad free reading throughout is a pleasure, with well spaced copy and the use of really good photography and images. Content is very well constructed, consisting mainly of thought provoking articles on up to date issues, trends and products from the design world with a bias towards product rather than graphic, architecture or new media. The structure of the content has hardly change since issue 1 and for me that says a lot.

So as someone with both eyes firmly fixed on the future and a philosophy to reduce my impact on the environment, I foresee a dilemma. Just as I love seeing the latest copy drop through the letterbox once a month I know that if like many other magazines newdesign becomes available online I should complete my collection and embrace the future. At least for now this dilemma is not a reality and perhaps when it is this will be one of my luxuries…?!

is one of these my favourite object?

I was asked today to take a photo of my favourite object…?

I have owned the Cube and the Somba for almost 10 years now! They were gifts from my parents when I went to study design at Loughborough. I chose to have the PowerMac G4 Cube over the more upgradable PowerMac G4 Graphite because of its groundbreaking 8-inch square suspended cube, a revolution in computer design. My dad got the 13 inch Philips Somba TV because it was on a manager’s special in PowerHouse!

I am fond of both because of the pleasure in use and ornament that they provide. The Cube is a design classic, one of only 450,000 and we still use it as our main computer at home today. I have even added to it recently with an original 22inch Apple Cinema Display bought on eBay.

I have become very attached to the Somba and am adamant that I will not succumb to the dull design of flat screen TV’s. It is so much fun with its illuminated little feet, analogue clock and heart shaped aerial stand!

I came to the conclusion that I do not have a single favourite object…these are just a couple!

WordPress for iPhone!

just downloaded WordPress app. for iPhone, which should let me blog from anywhere via my phone…where have I been all these years!

MICKI

You can still find really nice ethically produced wooden toys if you look hard enough! I have just purchased some items for my son from Micki in Sweden where they run their factory on the sawdust created when producing the toys. They are based in Småland which I believe is where LEGO are?! Will post some pics when they arrive…

the beginning!

my intention is to use this blog as a virtual Moleskine for my life as a designer and father, and a place to share my optimism for a sustainable future