THU, 15 Dec 2022 19:40:00 +0100
GOOD DESIGN - a love letter to the monobloc

as for many designers, dieter rams is one of my heroes, but in his famous 10 principles for good design [1], one is missing: good design is accessible.

if i need a place to sit, a street curb, or even the floor, is the most accessible. if your innovative, aesthetic, durable and environmentally friendly chair is impossible to find or too expensive, all design principles are worthless. to illustrate my point i want to talk about the monobloc [2], or as some evil tongues might call it, the ugliest chair in the world. no matter how famous or rich you might be, i'm sure everyone can recall sitting in one at some point in their life. the monobloc enabled more people than any other to sit with dignety - some even use them to make wheelchairs for people who simply can't afford "real" ones [3].

we, in our fancy herman miller chairs, have an easy time mocking the monobloc, but that misses the point. it would be nicer, of course, if everyone could sit in the same chair or live in the same apartment as i do, but just like, so called, ugly brutalist housing developments, the monobloc strives to provide everyone the most necessary dignity. in my book thats not only good design, it's morally correct design.

[1] https://www.vitsoe.com/us/about/good-design
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monobloc_(chair)
[3] https://www.freewheelchairmission.org/our-wheelchairs/

(as a side note, in my book, the monobloc meets at least seven of those principles)