Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
Figure 12. Informers: salt-and-pepper shakers pretend they are parts of hardboiled eggs (© 2013, pho-
tographed by A. Ursyn. Used with permission)
Figure 13. Double-duty gadgets: (a) a 3D puzzle serves both for entertainment and as an educational
prop; (b) a beach ball serves also both for entertainment and as an educational prop (© 2012, photo-
graphed by A. Ursyn. Used with permission)
new places. There is a link from the iconic, well-
known image to a hidden message of a pretender.
Message design helps the user select a proper
object. For example, it suggests the use of a big-
ger bar of soap for a bath rather than for washing
hands, when a bar of bath soap is placed on a soap
dish in a shape of a miniature bathtub.
In such cases pretenders enhance the culture
of our living, especially when they help us rec-
ognize details and nuances. For example, a salt-
and-pepper condiment, when shaped as porcelain
eggs (Figure 12) indicates its usage at a breakfast
table rather than during a dinner or supper. It
enhances one's mood, entertains, and serves as a
conversational theme. Thus, we may say such
pretenders are addressed to a connoisseur, to
somebody for whom a small change makes a big
difference.
Double-Duty Gadgets and
Multifunctional Tools
Some objects are designed for being able to
perform various tasks (Figure 13). The aspect
of functionality and the ergonomic design needs
to be unified with the product's form and the
users' expectations about the best performance.
This leads us toward the concerns about product
