Deconstructing Product Design

Tizio Table Lamp

Richard Sapper, 1971

1. “Everyday problems” typically breed “everyday solutions” — the innovation in these cases generally has more to do with recognizing and articulating an unacknowledged problem, than designing and developing a clever solution. Everyday solutions evoke an immediate, “Why didn’t I think of that?” response, because the path from problem to solution is relatively straightforward. On rare occasions, however, an everyday problem is solved in such a novel and nonobvious way that it leaves everyone flummoxed. The question asked isn’t, “Why didn’t I think of that?” rather, “How did anyone think of that?” Such is the case with the Tizio lamp. Richard Sapper comments: “I wanted a work lamp that could be moved by ...