Steampunk

In a combox below, reader Foxfier's pupils dilate as she asks if I am a fan of Steampunk, since the UPC drive I featured yesterday is designed in that style.

Incidentally, Wikipedia defines steampunk as;

...a subgenre of fantasy and speculative fiction that came into prominence in the 1980s and early 1990s. The term denotes works set in an era or world where steam power is still widely used—usually the 19th century, and often set in Victorian era England—but with prominent elements of either science fiction or fantasy, such as fictional technological inventions like those found in the works of H.G. Wells and Jules Verne, or real technological developments like the computer occurring at an earlier date.

It says of steampunk design specifically,

Various modern utilitarian objects have been modded by enthusiasts into a pseudo-Victorian mechanical "steampunk" style. Example objects include computer keyboards and electric guitars. The goal of such redesigns is to employ appropriate materials (such as polished brass, iron, and wood) with design elements and craftsmanship consistent with the Victorian era.

Am I a fan? The answer is "Yes (and no)".

Like anything, most examples of steampunk design aren't that noteworthy, and some of it I just find ugly in a way a little more interesting than usual. On the whole, I think we have enough exposed gadgetry and mechanical crap in our lives already. Add to that the fact that most of the steampunk designs involve merely grafting onto an object gears and tubing and guages that are totally cosmetic and useless, and things can get ridiculous pretty quickly (sure, decorative elements are often non-functional, but, you know... a little moderation, please). It would be fun to own some of these things (it might feel like you were a character in a sci-fi film), but I think in many cases the fun would wear off after a while and at some point you'd basically be left with something else to drag to the curb on trash day.

However...

There are some brilliant artistic minds working in the steampunk style and doing truly elegant and amazing things like these;

 

(From a post at Techotic blog)

These are beautiful, functional items. I love the old-fashioned, round typewriter keys. True, this kind of aftermarket modification is not open to most people (belonging to obsessed hobbyists, professional designers and rich people, mainly), but hopefully this kind of approach might seep into some of the corporate design departments eventually. It's fun, it's beautiful... it makes the person sitting at the computer feel a little better about being human, which is what design should be about.

I heard today, though, that France is now the second leading market for McDonalds in the world, behind the U.S. How is that related? Well, the French famously loathe McDonald's. They protest and complain about how it contributes to the degeneration of French culture, but... the McDonald's burger is half the cost of a sandwich from a bistro down the street. They buy it for the same reason we buy it... cuz it's cheap. Bland and unhealthy, but cheap.

Corporate designers have surprisingly little control over the design process. It is dictated first by what is quick, easy and - above all - cheap. Budget is what drives design 99% of the time, and designers are often left with very little elbow room in which to work. Why? Because we consumers want cheap stuff, and we won't by a computer for $800 if we can find one with the same functionality for $795. Companies know this, and act accordingly.

We pretty much get what we want. We just need to learn to want something a little better.

Comments

[pNielsen]

I can appreciate the tactility of Steampunk, real and/or implied.

[Foxfier]

Here's a keyboard to match that screen:
http://www.datamancer.net/keyboards/ergo1/ergo1.htm

I likes the purdy. ^.^

[Tim J.]

That's some gorgeous stuff there, Foxfier.

Everyone should follow the link above and take a look at the detail shots of this ergonomic steampunk keyboard and compare it to the putty-colored plastic version.

There are two different worlds at work there, two opposite views of the universe. I know which one gets my vote.

[J.R. Stoodley]

Not a big fan of the first picture. The monitor is pretty, but pretty rediculous looking too. The keybord strikes me as ugly. Just old-ugly not new-ugly.

The second picture looks like something that could actually work, could fit in nicely in an office.

The keyboard Foxfier shared is my favorate, at least if a computor and monitor could be made to match, and could avoid the rediculousness of the first picture in Tim's post.

Although, I've noticed the computers themselves are not shown in any of these pictures. I doubt they could be made as elegant as the keyboards and monitors, though surely they could be improved upon.

[Mary]

Steampunk can be cool.

I write it, some of the time. 0:)

[Foxfier]

Hm.... Maybe if you make the computer with green-glass sides, and a lot of bronzing inside?

[freddy]

I've been loving this stuff in sci-fi, just didn't know that it had a name! Thanks!