INDUSTRIAL DESIGN: the best idea does not win by itself

Yesterday I judged MODA’s Great Chair Hack competition, and picking a winner was not easy. Six teams had three hours to turn an IKEA chair into anything but a chair. The winning team of three architects stood out because they approached it like a real design project.

They researched the chair options at IKEA ahead of time. They explored multiple directions. They brought the right tools and materials. They took time to understand what the judges would be looking for. Then they turned the chair itself into a guitar complete with a strap, strings, and tuning pegs. They used the chair in an inventive way instead of treating it like an afterthought.

Good design is not just the idea, or the craft, or the final form. It is the moment all of it comes together so clearly that you instantly get it. People can feel when something simply works.