Design of a Binder Clip

Binder Clip

I chose a binder clip as my object of design because it follows several of the principles of design. To list a few, as outlined in Dieter Rams: Ten Principles of Good Design, good design is unobtrusive, honest, long-lasting, and good design is also as little design as possible. A binder clip meets all these specifications. A binder clip is unobtrusive because it does not try to distract the user with flashy patterns or extra pieces. It is a clip that holds papers or other materials together and that is the extent of its function. For this reason, it is also honest -- it's appearance does not suggest that it does any other thing besides its primary function. Because it is made from all metal materials, a binder clip is long-lasting as well. The final piece is that a binder clip is as little design as possible. It fulfills this characteristic because, to put it philosophically, it is no more and no less than what it is by design.