Objectified (2009) is another dive into the world of design by Gary Hustwit, who also directed Helvetica. In Objectified, Hustwit goes a little broader than a film purely about typography, and in doing so cannot paint nearly the lavish picture. But saying that, Objectified is still an excellent and thought-provoking movie, and still one of the best documentaries made on the subject of industrial design.
Objectified examines the relationship that we, as consumers, have with the many products and objects around us. Everywhere, in so many ways, products are part of our lives, and they have all been designed. We drive to work in cars, work on computers, make calls on cell phones, wear shoes, watches, rain coats, eat pre-packaged food, and all of it has been touched by a designer. Sometimes, not for the better, either.
At one point, designers get quietly furious with the shoddy designs that we are all forced to endure, either due to cost, poor thinking or plain laziness. As Jim Gaffigan once joked, why did it take them so long to design an upside-down ketchup bottle?
"Have people been having trouble getting ketchup out of the bottle?"
"For like 100 years!"
Featuring great designers like Dieter Rams (who worked wonders at Braun), Apple's Jonathan Ive, and Chris Bangle (former Design Director at BMW), the 75-minute running time flies by way too quickly. Considering the audience this is aimed at, two hours would have been lapped up many times over. Objectified demands several views, and is definitely a movie worth adding to any collection.
