Video Response: Design for Life

The ‘Design for Life’ documentary embodies modern popular television shows such as ‘the Apprentice’ in which a cast of hopeful and aspiring designers are vying for a once in a lifetime opportunity, to work with one of the worlds most prolific (and at times controversial) designers, Philippe Starck. Starck puts contestants through numerous challenges, with contestants being eliminated until one comes away with the ultimate prize.

Throughout the documentary, contestants are given tasks to complete, all relating to the processes of design. Most contestants are met with Starck’s blunt and brutal criticism, yet some shine through and give hope that there actually can be a winner.

The tasks are truly relevant from a design perspective. Contestants are asked to create concepts and develop them further to reach an ultimate goal, which is to produce and market a product that can be successfully manufactured and retailed. It’s obvious that contestants have strengths and weaknesses. Some find the technical drawings difficult to complete, while other find the marketing concepts hard to grasp. I believe that to be a successful designer, one must be able to understand and excel in each of the various stages; otherwise the whole idea can just fall apart.

The documentary gives a good insight into the work that is involved in the design profession. Many people outside the industry just take products and designs for granted, not really understanding the time and effort that actually goes into the reasoning for a products design, look, colour, packaging etc. The documentary really puts into perspective the amount of time a designer puts into their work. Many late nights and early mornings were portrayed as the continued to find solutions and develop their designs to a level that would please Philippe Starck.

The documentary helps to show the processes involved in becoming a designer and all the numerous hours of work and dedication that is needed to fulfill a brief, no matter how simple it may seem. It has really helped me to better understand the necessary amount of time and effort I need to devote to a project in order to fully explore its avenues, as well as account for numerous set backs and dead ends. In the end, this documentary has really helped me understand the necessity of time management and how important it is not to take short cuts or the easy way out, as it more than likely ends up backfiring.