Nudity and Design

On my lunch break at work, I read books. It’s my compartmentalized brain’s way of saying “this time is for comics”, “this time is for websites”, and “this time is for books without pictures”.

I’ve been reading Edgar Rice Burroughs, H. Rider Haggard, H.P. Lovecraft, Edgar Allen Poe, Robert Howard, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. So you see, even when I do read books I don’t exactly go all contemporary.

Although lately I’ve been enjoying the Steve Jobs biography. I just finished it and it was quite a read. Love him or hate him, love Apple or hate it, it’s a good book and worth your time. I don’t get political, I won’t discuss religion with you, and I won’t tell you how to raise your kids. But I will talk to death the virtues of DC over Marvel. And I will punch in the nose the next arrogant idiot who extols the virtues of an open operating system.

I. JUST. NEED. MY. COMPUTER. TO. WORK.

Okay… Phew… eremmm… ANYWAY…

One thing that the Steve Jobs biography does particularly well if you’re an Apple fanboy, as I unabashedly am, is give you a greater appreciation for the design and effort that went into their beautiful line of products. I cried and hugged my device after I finished reading the chapter on the iPod.



One of the things that caught my attention was the anecdote about iPad covers and iPhone cases. Jobs didn’t like them. I had never given that any thought, but Apple put so much time and effort into the beauty of the device and here we were covering the things up.

I glance over at my iPhone.

The biographer goes on to say that was the notion that moved Steve Jobs to have Apple create their own smart cover for the iPad. If people wanted to protect the screen that much, Jobs wanted to show them how best to do it.

I run a finger down the spine of my iPad case.

Not everyone liked the smart cover, but you have to admit that if the purpose was to offer up a product that would serve as a case and a stand for the iPad, but not really increase the bulk or mar the beauty of the craftsmanship, then Apple achieved that goal. And they offered a gee-whiz moment too when they had the magnets of the cover turn the iPad screen off and on.

I nervously fidget with my iPod’s protective hard plastic shell.

Ahem.

I finished the book. Made no changes to my routines, processes or layout, and went on with life.

But…

…what if…

One day at work, I slipped iPod, iPhone, and iPad out of their protective coverings and laid them all out on my desk in their usual spots.

I checked around, behind me, somehow sure someone would be standing there just shocked beyond believe at my brazenness.

It felt wild. It was the feeling of freedom! Enjoying the form in all it’s untethered glory, as things were meant to be!

It also felt wrong.

I checked around behind me again. No one was there. No laughing and pointing or shock and surprise. No phone calls to HR to report my bold activity.

I slowly repositioned the protective cases of each of the devices and lined them up on my desk in their usual spots.

Quite enough of THAT craziness. Let’s not do that again.

I let out a deep sigh and got back to work.


Thanks,
DCD