grahamGrafx

brendn:

I was never particularly enamored with Tord Boontje’s Garland lamp (above left) in the first place, but it is nonetheless an important piece of design. Boontje’s use of laser cutting allows him to create prodigiously intricate screen-like floral designs out of an unforgiving material.

The Urban Outfitters version, on the other hand (above right), is disproportionate and bland. The die-cut plastic tendrils appear thin and wilted, hanging from an awkward metal frame rather than wrapping gracefully around the cord itself. Its designers show unparalleled ineptitude in producing even a ham-handed knock-off of a popular object.

What troubles me more than someone cashing in on Boontje’s successful design is the thought that a designer must be either lazy, unoriginal, or just plain mediocre to turn out shoddy imitations. The sad thing is that designs by every-day people showcased in Make or Ready-Made magazine often show far more wit and originality than anything I’ve ever seen in Urban Outfitters.