Everything Old is New Again (Draft)

Everyone laughs at the scene in Tom Sawyer when Tom convinces his friends to paint the fence for him by telling them that it’s a lot of fun. But deep down, we don’t really expect something like that to work, a belief that is changing for me as I explore the way design is used to create surprising and unique experiences.

With the advent of summer weather in California, I see people every day mowing their lawns while I ride past on my bike. None of them look like they’re having any fun, but chances are slim that someone will volunteer to do their work for them.

Twice, however, I have considered such an action, and had I not been wrapped in spandex, I probably would have. Both times it was the design of the mower that intrigued me, once with a new mower and once with an old one.

The first man’s mower was an electric model, which fascinated me because 1) I was surprised a mower could run off standard outlet power, and 2) I was impressed that he hadn’t yet run over the cord and electrocuted himself. But the mower was otherwise just like a gasoline-powered model in function and form, simply running more quietly.

The second man’s mower was an old push-style model, with open blades rotating at high speeds, driven by the spin of the mower’s wheels. I had simply never seen one of these mowers in the real world, with most of my exposure to them coming from seeing Homer Simpson use one to mow Ned Flanders’ lawn, while wearing his wife’s dress.

This mower fascinated me. Having never seen one before made me curious, seeing the blades twirl seemed dangerous, and noticing the relative ease of the owner’s use was surprising. Combined, it was an incredible attractive thing for a person of my age and background to see, and ever since I have wanted to use one myself.

Part of this is certainly due to the elegant and efficient design of the mower, which reminded me of the difference between bicycles and cars. But certainly part of it was simply its age, being different from my own.

People talk about the fashion world having a 30-year cycle (so that 70s-style fashions became popular again in 2000; I can’t wait for spandex to come back next decade), but more important than the actual interim length is the amount of change that has occurred. As society gets faster and faster, 30 years will become 20, then 10, and soon enough we’ll be saying “that outfit is so yesterday!”

Again, it’s less about the product, and more about the experience. Virginia Postrel cites an industrial designer as saying “Good Design is not about the perfect thing anymore, but about helping a lot of different people build their own personal identities.” If an older product helps support a person’s desired identity, then that is the “best” product for them.

As for me, I’m just saving up for my 1961 Cadillac convertible. Should be in fashion again in 2021, if the 30-year cycle is still around…