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netmouse ([personal profile] netmouse) wrote2004-09-23 08:57 am
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Emotional Design: BMW's MINI Cooper

I am currently reading Emotional Design: Why we love (or hate) everyday things, by Don Norman. It's next week's reading discussion topic for MOCHI and I'm glad I decided to join in on that - so far the book is fun to read. This is part of Norman's recent campaign for beauty and pleasure in design, and I thought the MINI enthusiasts out there would be pleased to know he mentions the MINI straight off, with this quote from the New York Times:

Whatever one may think of the MINI Cooper's dynamic attributes, which range from very good to marginal, it is fair to say that almost no new vehicle in recent memory has provoked more smiles.
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[identity profile] surfal666.livejournal.com 2004-09-23 08:14 am (UTC)(link)
:)

[identity profile] stardustgirl.livejournal.com 2004-09-23 09:29 am (UTC)(link)
You know I'm in total agreement with that. One of my complaints about Apple's trend toward the brushed metal is that it is not a good touchy-feely surface. A person is fairly intimate with their laptop, and *feel* is as important as anything else. That's why I still use my 98 Wallstreet and have spent $$ to keep it updated and current. The new iMacs are not "cute", unlike the earlier ones. I hope Steve gets over this boxy, sterile phase. Perhaps I should mail him a copy of Mr. Norman's book. :-)

I gush over the MINIs, and Ford's retro Thunderbird, but as much as I love Pontiac they really missed it with their attempt at bringing back the GTO. I still lust when I see my Pumpkin in a parking lot, so I guess that's a good match. :-)

I'm going to see if our library has this. It sounds like a good read.

[identity profile] shadowriderhope.livejournal.com 2004-09-23 10:14 am (UTC)(link)
Sounds like a neat book - I'm always struck by these sorts of things.

My friend Stephanie thinks it somewhat amusing that I think of cars as having 'faces' (they do, really!) and that I like to play-imbue them with personality. VW Bugs are cute and smiley (we all knew that) but kind of vapid, and the older Saturns are smart and sexy (it's all about the headlights and the crisper lines; the new ones are too bulgy, imnsho). Hondas are also smart and cool, especially the older ones with the more 'narrowed' headlights.

I could go on and on, but anyway, thanks for the recommendation. I just requested it from the library - I love the online system. ;)
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