Ever since CAD software made it possible, flowing and curvaceous gadgets exploded in popularity. Now, with CES 2013, the age of curves may be on the way out with boxy and straight shapes set to take over.
Now, everything from 3-D printers to smartphone cases have sharper, straighter lines than ever before. Many believe that Apple started the trend.
Ever since the original iMac, Apple has slowly moved their products from warm plastic to cool metal and glass, and each successive generation is less curvy and colourful. Now, industrial designers all over the world are taking note.
Of course, Nick de la Mare, executive creative director at Frog Design, believes that the changes may be simply to improve function by using more space for internal capacity.
“Rounded corners typically come at the expense of wasted size and material,” he said, adding that the trend towards straight lines is like a “celebration of the machine”.
Karyn Lu, Manager of New Media Insights & Inspiration at Turner Broadcasting, believes it may simply reflect society’s desire for more simplicity.
“I think that sensibility has really seeped into the mainstream consciousness, certainly going beyond technology into our everyday lives,” she says. “There’s something so straightforward and elegant about the lines and angles of geometric patterns.”
Source: http://www.wired.com/design/2013/01/ces-design-trends-2013/
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