Whether he's creating bird feeders or webcams, Beck's philosophy is to streamline the fussiness out of our gadget-happy culture
Sense and Sensibility
By JOEL STEIN
At a time when most designers are stressing the sexy, Ben Beck is focusing on the smart. An industrial designer for (Eleven), the Boston-based firm he co-founded, Beck uses design to make products simpler. They may not be quite as racy looking as an iMac or a Beetle, but his sometimes colorful, mostly plastic and almost always sleek creations revive the notion that form should follow function.
"Just by looking at something, you should know how it works," he says. "We're stating the obvious all the time." His birdcage, for instance, has a clear plastic front and back and a light, and a wavy perch that, he insists, prevents bird carpal-tunnel syndrome. These are the kinds of things Beck knows.
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View samples of Ben Beck's award-winning product design. |
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Name: Ben Beck Age:40 Why critics are taking note: The industrial designer's smart products are in demand from Microsoft and Motorola to Oakley. |
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