Features and Design of Juicy Salif - Essay Example

JUICY SALIF The majority of consumers are intrigued by forms and structures which are unique. In purchasing products, consumers are always searching for those which meet their needs. Products which are considered in great demand are those which are eye-catching, intricately-designed, with good aesthetic value. Consumers are always on the look out for products which have high quality and are affordable. However, high quality products are known to command higher prices due to the cost of raw materials as well as manufacturing costs and design features. It is the consumers’ dream to find high quality products that come in affordable prices. One product which made a controversial entrance in the consumer market in terms of design and feature is the Juicy Salif created by Philippe Starck. To determine the salient features of the product and the design, personal comments from Philippe Starck would be presented. This essay also aims to achieved the following: (1) to look into the life of Philippe Starck as a designer of consumer products and (2) to analyze the features that made Juicy Salif one of the most controversial and innovative products of the twentieth century. PHILIPPE STARCK Philippe Starck was born in Paris, France in 1949. His father, Andre was an airplane engineer , whose job “was to think of new uses for old designs, to take fundamental designs that already existed and make them better”. (Philippe Starck Biography). This experience and upbringing provided him with the inspiration and bearing of a designer. Aside from being a designer, Starke is also an architect who received numerous prestigious awards around the world. His style is marked by his inclination to dismantle things and think of innovative ways to put them back after incorporating his own artistic flare. He designs a variety of consumer products, such as furnitures, household items and even hotels and residences. Starck has been highly influential and has received much attention with his ingenious designs and innovative creations. Starck believes that high quality products should not only be designed for the rich. His philosophy is to design products which are catered to the masses – “good-looking but manufactured at a low cost”. (Philippe Stark Biography). He was enthusiastic of people’s reactions towards his designs. In another study on his life, Spiritus-temporis revealed that “his products are often stylized, streamlined and organic in their look and are also constructed using unusual combinations of materials (such as glass and stone, plastic and aluminum, plush fabric and chrome, etc.).” The two designs that exemplify the use of these materials are the toothbrushes of 1989 and the Juicy Salif of 1990. JUICY SALIF PRODUCT Juicy Salif is a brand name for a lemon squeezer designed by Philippe Starck for Alessi, an Italian kitchenware company. It is 11.5” tall and 5.5” in diameter manufactured in cast aluminium with polyamide feet. The product is made in mirror finish but was previously available in a gray/black version and an individually numbered gold plated version. Philippe Starck created Juicy Salif in such a way that it is considered affordable and could be purchased by consumers from all walks of life. Consumers and designers say that this product is ‘futuristic’-looking, provocatively intelligent, flawless feminine lines, stylish, and impeccably designed. The owner, Alberto Alessi, revealed the origin of the Juicy Salif design, to wit: “I received a napkin from Starck, on it among some incomprehensible marks (tomato sauce, in all likelihood) there were some sketches. Sketches of squid. They started on the left, and as they worked their way over to the right, they took on the unmistakable shape of what was to become the juicy salif. While eating a dish of squid and squeezing a lemon over it, Starck drew on the napkin his famous lemon squeezer.” It is funny that inspirations for designs and structures of forms and products sometimes come from the most common situations and places. It only takes a wild imagination and creativity to transform something extraordinary from simple things. What advertisers of designs say about the Juicy Salif: It is interesting to note what advertisements say about Juicy Salif. The truth of the matter is that advertisements and promotional campaigns either make or destroy a product. Their testimonies are often taken as proven and tested by consumers and are therefore very significant in marketing and promoting. Following are excerpts of what advertisers say about Juicy Salif: (1) “looking almost like a miniature version of one of the walking alien machines from war of the worlds” - UNICAREWARDS; (2) “As well as being the most controversial citrus fruit squeezer of the 20th century, it has also become one of the icons of design of the 1990s, and it continues to be one of the most provocatively intelligent articles in the Alessi catalog.” - hive.  modern design for the home; (3) “Philippe Starck’s futuristic design for his Juicy Salif created considerable controversy when it was released in 1990, but has now gone on to one of the iconic objects of late twentieth-century design” – Scandinavian details; (4) “It is considered a collectable and icon of industrial design.” – Designophy; and (5) Juicy Salif lemon squeezer has earned its place in the Olympus of design… it now ranks with the historical greats at the Museum of Modern Art in New York” - Gabriel Ross. These testimonies present a diverse discourse of Juicy Salif. They are, however, cognizant to the fact that the design is uniquely bizarre for a lemon juice squeezer. As such, it made its mark as a “collectible” item and worthy of acknowledgement as an object to be revered for this era. As published by majority of professional designers, the Juicy Salif product made an indelible mark in industrial design. It had a controversial release in 1990 when critics viewed it as being impractical and queer looking. But consumers and design enthusiasts were quick to realize that this product possess a uniquely innovative design which paved the way for it to be considered a classic. What consumers say about the product: It is always good the see both sides of a coin. The abovementioned designer/advertiser/promoter enthusiasts are all pros on the product. Except for the “alien-looking” comment, they all exemplified perfection in form. But what about functionality? Here are what the consumers or the end-users say about the product (Deconstructing product design): (1) “However, after I purchased it, I learned that the acids from citrus fruits can damage the surface, which is really frustrating.” – VisuaLingual; (2) “I think it represents conspicuous consumerism. Good products should fulfill their basic function before going on to delight the senses” - Mary Maclachlan; (3) “after testing Juicy Salif, a couple of my participants were actually bleeding… it is extremely unstable and once it falls, you not only break the glass that is under it (collecting the juice) but its sharp legs turn into a weapon.” – Beatriz Russo; (4) “the day after I had the first pilot of my study (where the participant was asked to squeeze a lemon in it, wash it, dry it…) I could see the first signs of rust. it didn’t shine anymore and there were dark spots all over it… I must say that, after 30 lemons were squeezed on it, I had to throw it away… it was disgusting to look at it” – ibid; (5) “Form must follow function!” Unless form is the products predominate function. Say what you want, but it’s an $80 manual juicer that barely works, and it still sells like crazy.” – Rgeo; (6) “For everyone interested in purchasing this fruit squeezer, it is important to be aware that it is not intended to actually squeeze fruit with... its a fascinating decorative object for your kitchen. So dont buy this product if you like fruit juice, but certainly do buy it if you like design... personally I love it.” – T. Spek ANALYSIS OF PRODUCT DESIGN From what the consumers indicated, Juicy Salif failed to satisfy the needs of the consumers with regard to the functionality of the product. Fruit squeezers before have the round shape with perforations to ensure that the pulp bits are squeezed appropriately. However, they do not have the elongated feet, which is the innovative feature of Juicy Salif. Without the feet, the user would have to squeeze the juice in one container (or on the squeezer itself) and then transfer the juice extract into a glass. The Juicy Salif, with its elongated legs, one can squeeze the fruit directly in a glass and therefore save the use of another container. It is imperative, however, to note that these elongated legs make the product unstable and unsafe and increases its tendency to break and lessening its functionality feature. Despite the innovativeness of the design, the sleek feminine lines of the elongated legs, and the classy features are not enough to consider it a functional consumer product. This is the reason why in marketing, the primary consideration in promoting a product is meeting the needs of the consumers. If a lemon squeezer does not perform its function effectively, it would definitely be regarded as useless. Consumers’ comment that Juicy Salif is considered more as a stunning accessory rather than a kitchen appliance. Despite its lack of functionality, people still opt to purchase this product as a remembrance of a controversial design. At its affordable price, consumers feel that they are able to get their money’s worth for a product which exemplified an intriguing design of a consumer product. The Juicy Salif was a unique concept in designs. In creating consumer products, consideration should be given to the concept of universal design of consumer products. Universal design, as defined by Vanderheiden and Tobias, “ is the process of creating products (devices, environments, systems, and processes) which are usable by people with the widest possible range of abilities, operating within the widest pos­sible range of situations (environments, conditions, and circumstances), as is commercially practical”. The Juicy Salif, though commercially affordable, was proven not to be effectively usable within a range of possible situations. Consumer survey and testimonies attest to its failure to satisfy this need: to be able to perform its function of squeezing fruit juice with ease by people from all walks of life. CONCLUSION A good design for a consumer product should put emphasis on “displaying qualities of beauty as well as functional clarity and efficiency” (Buchanan 2000). For Juicy Salif, this consumer product surpassed the bounds of classic design. However, it failed to elicit inputs from the users to make Juicy Salif an exceptionally functional one. Philippe Starck created the product with the desire to make an innovative design for a lemon squeezer and make it affordable to the masses. Together with Alessi, during the product design inception stage, a ‘proto-type’ of the product could be initially manufactured and used to solicit consumer inputs as to its functionality. This would have been a relevant phase to ensure that the product do not only possess an innovatively unique design, but is functional as well, to serve the purpose of a lemon squeezer. According to Rhea, “when most successful, design creates an experience that is both delightful and relevant to the human being”. The Starck design tells so much about the designer. In truth, he is a creative thinker, innovative, enthusiastic and unique. He actually represented his personality in his designs. Although his philosophy is to create products which can be affordable to the masses, he failed to solicit the masses’ inputs to incorporate functionality in his design. As a consumer and art enthusiast, I personally am at awe at the uniqueness of the design of Juicy Salif. At first instance, when one uses the sense of sight and appreciation for beauty, coupled with its affordable price, one would immediately be attracted to purchase Juicy Salif. The functionality aspect comes after the purchase. Realization that the product did not effectively and efficiently serve its purpose is actually superseded by the fact that it can still serve as a good work of art. References Alessi - juicy salif by philippe starck for alessi from UNICAREWARDS 2009 Unicahome, Inc. Retrieved on February 16, 2009 from Alessi. Juicy Salif Lemon Squeezer. Gabriel Ross, Inc. 2009. Retrieved on February 16, 2009 from Alessi - Philippe Starck "Juicy Salif" PSJS Lemon Squeezer. Product Description. Retrieved on February 17, 2009 from Buchanan, R.(2000). Good Design in the Digital Age. Gain:AIGA Journal of Design for the Network Economy. Retrieved on February 17, 2009 from < http://id.bobulate.com/readings/gooddesign.pdf> Deconstructing Product Design. Alessi Juicy Salif. Retrieved on Febuary 17, 2009 from Designophy. Juicy Salif. Retrieved on February 16, 20009 from Hive.  Modern Design for the Home. Retrieved on February 16, 2009 from Philippe Starck Biography. Retrieved on February 16, 2009 from Philippe Starck Biography of Philippe Starke. Retrieved on February 16, 2009 from Scandinavian details. Juicy Salif. Retrieved on February 16, 2009 from Vanderheiden, G. and Tobias, J. Universal Design of Consumer Products: Current Industry Practice and Perceptions. Retrieved on February 17, 2009 from Read More