RR02: Heskett CH. 1-3

Design: A Very Short Introduction begins by explaining what design actually is. I think everyone has their own interpretation for what design is because there are so many elements in design. The sentence “It [design] affects everyone in every detail of every aspect of what they do throughout each day” caught my eye when I first read it because it is so true. If you think about it, everything you see looks the way it does because it has been designed that way for a specific reason. No matter where you look or what you use you will be influenced by design.
I enjoyed reading about the different types of toothpicks that the book mentioned. I guess I never really thought about what a toothpick should look like, or how it should work. The first toothpick shown was created by the dental company “Jordan” (which is my brother’s name by the way!). The shape is flat, which I think is strange because I have only seen round toothpicks. The second toothpick shown is a traditional Japanese toothpick, which is round with a pointy end. The other end has grooves cut out, which make it easy to break off. It is inappropriate to lay chopsticks down on the table in the Japanese culture. Because of this they have little stands that hold their chopsticks up from the table. They thought the same should go for toothpicks. By breaking off the end of the toothpick you can lay it under the pointed end so that it does not touch the table. I have to admit, I have seen these types of toothpicks before and I had no idea there was so much thought behind the design of it. I honestly thought the grooves were just to look good or to stand out from all of the other plain toothpicks. I love learning interesting tid bits like this!