Thursday, May 21, 2009

Objectified Opening In Atlanta Is Amazing


Went down to Atlanta last week to see the new Gary Hustwit documentary, Objectified. Being a big fan of Helvetica, I couldn't wait to have a chance to see his new film. It did not disappoint.

The film closely examines product and packaging design. Some of my favorite object designers are featured, including a few of my heroes: Apple's Jonny Ive and Ideo's David Kelley. Ive's discussion of the macbook design was revealing; the standard approach at Apple is, "how do we make this one piece function in as many ways as possible?". The keyboard base is build from one piece of aluminum, and houses the hard drive, motherboard, and processor. Watching Ive sit in the mysterious and exclusive Apple Labs and discuss many of the most beautiful designs to ever come from Apple. Awesome.

The tonal feel, editing style, and music are virtually indistinguishable from Helvetica. Whether you are familiar with alot of object designers or not, it is easy to get into the film. It is not overly packed with lingo; anyone can clearly understand the discussions, and the intimate shot styles bring the viewer in instantly.

When the film was over, I ran out the back door. I wanted to hit the restroom before Hustwit opened a Q&A session with the audience. The door flew open and I stepped right into Hustwit himself! I said hello, nice job, etc. and shook his hand. The Q&A that followed was superb, funny, and insightful.

A great experience overall. Objectified comes out on DVD in July - make sure you watch it, it is truly a must!

BTW - Thanks Jane for the tickets!