Cover Story

DESIGN CONTINUUM

EASE AND ECONOMY IN THE LAB

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Then Granfranco Zaccai was study design at Syracuse University in 1967. he bough a fare stainless steel safety ror-he wanted to own the best. The first me he used it, he raped his check raw Zaccai rever forgot the lesson: A product can look great but fail to deliver.

So when Zacca graduated, he turned down job at General Mo tor Corp designing cars that he felt were little more than jazzy shells Instead, he chose to design medical instruments Is 19 he and Jed Zirler, a me har.. a engi Deer founded Design Continuum Inc and began specialtung in 'nedical and aboratory instruments. IN THE RED. Their Boston design firm hit the g time last year when 40-year old Italian born Zarcal won the opted Milan Compasso D'Oro, or Golden Compass design award. Although his Automated Cosgela tion Labratory docs a cor plen set of blood tests, it looks as simple and as much fun to operate as a toy

But there's more to (than ease of operation. To prevent afe-threatser ces came after only 40 instr ening mixups, the analyzer corpo rates such well thought out features as labeled slots and hole that ac commodate only the right vial or test tube

Because the product was de signed to be mar ufactured conor

rents were produced. The con peny bas dreaded to model it entire lir. of benchtop labs after the Design Continuum product. Perhaps Za cal should next try his band at a fancy stainless steel rator

By Pod Ang all in Boston

be no rep aced by tiny computer chips Thin ris nok er die the outer form With hese things are ny sible free fig shape de

ay

des grer Forge: 24

to gre a proc Ic an va t Alex Bay. a Pitsburg But he cult of technology is out tut s or a empat disk plaver, 16 d gra read it in the dasht ard, te ur fathomabie u er man "The mos te way of rod nad perang a product is the key in Ges.m toda, Ba's Cara Marty, assistant carator of MOMA

Dials an inchs are eve making a comeback Har is prode a ser se of relatior and ir formator that L'irkig dig ts d not Designers are aware that they ar making products for an crea ingly aged population (page 108) Marc Har sor a profesor a' the Rhode Island School of Design, deliberately used big controls an oversize hands when he began designing Cuisinart kitchen appl: nces

1ok at the recent ge.eration of made inAmerica Find a ad o equit ment The Bose Ause Wave boom box. with AM FM radio, Assete piaver and terec speakers, is stripped of the equalizer Doly and soudnes button, that most per pie don't nec i Ise correct v. or leave o nadvertently Even the shape a wave

a metaphor for the function of the product, gene rating wo, derflound was es With the SAIC to ejec.r ies,roducts are beginning to echo 'heir function . their form.

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he attempt o match products with ther users, ergonores leiding to a charge in shape ard cajor The severe co.d blk and white look must asso ciated with Dieter Ramsd the braun products Te has designed for decades are be ng jored by pridicts that Are rouder ard friendlier The use of colc, er ouraged by the Memphis School Ma Is nak g a big comeback Tande

Campaters buids a muscular backmachine that is tal black and imping. ke Darth Vader. Bu the less nacho approach it ook for its NonStopTX computers proved to be in award wir er Gone were the hard edges. star, corners, and industra fin.shes Instead, here were rende i edges and soft colors. It