Function and Personality

The first chapter seems to focus on the need for designers to use the connections and connotations that materials have to fully realize the intended purpose of whatever object is being designed. This is important in humanizing the work. The idea of making things more "human" is underlined by the introduction to the chapter which basically states that as humans, we are significantly different from most animals in our ability to see more into and about objects than just its color or form, but also intention, use, environment, permanence or impermanence. They use the example of a violin which is a well designed object for it's function, its beautiful and decorative form, and the relatively simple and holistic materials that make up this instrument that makes raw acoustic music from the vibration of these materials. It seems that the meat and potatoes of the section is to highlight the need for designers to be conscious in all choices and aspects of their design, and to bridge the gap between design and production by taking into account all of the things that are important in an object, all of these things that we, as humans, can "see"beneath the skin, and translate that into tangible produceable product.