“The Japanese Perception of Beauty is largely based on space, especially space as it is found in nature” (Koegel, 2010).
At an Applebee's outing with my brother and cousin to celebrate my cousin and I's graduation from our respective colleges, the design of my beer "mug" became a topic for discussion. My cousin received a degree in Business, with an emphasis in marketing, and I graduated with a degree in Communication and Information Design, with an emphasis in graphic design. It is not uncommon for us to banter back and forth about design or marketing strategies.
Never getting a “tall” draft before, it was quite a surprise when the big glass sat in front of me. My first reaction was “wow, this is a huge glass.” But on further observation of the glass, it is not as big as it seems. The glass tapers in and has a lot of space at the bottom of solid glass. As a result, there is not as much beer as someone assumes. This is obviously a trick to get extra money for “more” beer for the company.
Although misleading, I love the shape of the glass. As the quote states above, the beauty comes from the perception of space around the glass “as it is found in nature.” The design makes it sturdy and easily graspable (which is good when having a few beers). It almost looks sophisticated, meaning that you are not just having this drink at some random “hole in the wall.” It is also not too classy of a look that it does not feel right for the venue. Besides tricking you into thinking that the glass holds more beer, I find it still a well-designed item for its purpose.
Koegel, Timothy J. The Exceptional Presenter Goes Virtual. [Kindle E-Book Edition] Austin, TX: Greenleaf Book Group Press, 2010.
Ah, you chose one of my favorite objects EVER! Actually what is funny about this is that when I was an IDT student, and the classes met face-to-face, two of my classmates and I would head over the Applebees once a week and drink a few of these! Aside from really enjoying the beer at Applebees (which, for some reason, always tastes fresher to me than at other places), I often have commented how much I wanted to take a glass home with me because they are neat looking!
ReplyDeleteBy the way, GREAT name for your blog!