Design Object Series Archives

Design Object Series N. 011

Anne Asensio and the Renault Scénic

The history of automotive design is filled with iconic models that have left an indelible mark on the industry. Among these legends stands the Renault Scénic, a compact MPV (multi-purpose vehicle) that revolutionized the way families travel. Spanning over a quarter of a century, the Renault Scénic has continuously evolved, adapting to the changing needs of consumers and the ever-shifting landscape of automotive design. We’ll share the rich history of the Renault Scénic, from its inception in the early 1990s to its latest all-electric iteration. Furthermore, we will explore the influential role of Anne Asensio, a prominent female designer, in shaping the Scenic’s success and the broader automotive design landscape.

From Concept to Reality

The story of the Renault Scénic begins in 1991 when the automotive world was introduced to the Mégane Scénic concept at the Frankfurt Motor Show. Designed under the supervision of Anne Asensio, then Head of Design at Renault, this concept car heralded a new era in family transportation. With a focus on passenger well-being and comfort, the Mégane Scénic was designed “from the inside out.” Asensio oversaw the creation of a vehicle that would redefine the compact MPV segment. Her vision went beyond aesthetics; she prioritized the well-being of passengers, pioneering innovations such as expansive windows for superior visibility. Her design philosophy was rooted in creating a comfortable and safe environment for families, a hallmark of the Scénic’s success.

Renault is a French automotive company known for their commitment to performance (including Formula 1 cars) and innovation. The Mégane Scénic concept car was a technological showcase, a design study aimed at producing a 21st-century family vehicle embodying Renault’s idea of the “car for life and living”. The “invitation to travel” theme was thoroughly developed in this cocoon-like vehicle, through form, color and trim, but also through its functional innovations and safety features. The car was not only pioneering but also safe, comfortable, and remarkably easy to drive. Its expansive windows offered excellent visibility, a testament to the attention to detail that went into its design.

The road-going version of the Mégane Scenic made its debut in dealerships in 1996. Renamed simply the Scénic, it quickly established itself as a game-changer in the automotive world. It was the first compact MPV designed to cater to the needs of families, offering spacious interiors, practical technology, and a heightened focus on safety. In recognition of its groundbreaking design and innovative features, the Scénic was awarded the prestigious title of European Car of the Year in 1997. Renault’s vision, brought to life by Anne Asensio’s design skill, had struck a chord with consumers across Europe and beyond.

Evolution and Impact of the Renault Scénic

The success of the Scénic did not stop with its initial release. In the years that followed, Renault continued to refine and upgrade the Scénic, keeping the core elements that made it a beloved family vehicle while embracing new technologies and design trends. One of the key strengths of the Scénic was its adaptability to different eras and markets. While Renault continually upgraded the model, it retained its distinctive features, including comfort, safety, and useful technology. Even in the second-hand market the original Scénic remains popular, a testament to its enduring appeal.

In 2022, Renault announced a radical transformation for the Scénic, marking the fifth generation of this iconic model. Named the Scénic E-Tech electric, this all-electric family vehicle represents a paradigm shift in the Scenic’s evolution. Everything about it is new, except for the name. Renault has reimagined its invitation to travel with a high-tech, connected vehicle that encapsulates their commitment to sustainable development and safety.

A Historic Contribution

The Renault Scénic’s journey through automotive history is a testament to its enduring legacy as a pioneer in the compact MPV segment. From the visionary concept by Anne Asensio to its latest transformation as the Scénic E-Tech electric, this model has consistently evolved while staying true to its core values of comfort, safety, and innovation.

In her distinguished career, Anne Asensio has consistently pushed the boundaries of design in the automotive industry. Her expertise extends to both the automotive and digital sectors, demonstrating her adaptability and innovative thinking. Asensio’s commitment to sustainability is evident in her role as the Circular Design Leader at the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. Her partnership with global organizations, policymakers, and educators underscores her dedication to promoting circular design principles and practices. As the WW Vice-President of Design Experience at Dassault Systèmes, she has led teams, developed design strategies, and driven innovation for over 15 years. Her design philosophy and commitment to user well-being have shaped not only the Scénic but also the broader design landscape.

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Design Object Series N. 010

Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky and the Frankfurt Kitchen

In the wake of World War I, Frankfurt, Germany, faced a severe housing crisis. To address this issue, the city embarked on a monumental public housing project in the 1920s, constructing over 10,000 units of modern architecture. In this groundbreaking housing effort, one room stood out as the most celebrated and influential: the kitchen. The Frankfurt Kitchen, designed by Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, is often hailed as the world’s first modern kitchen, a revolutionary space that introduced numerous innovative features that we now see as standard.

In this issue we explore the history, impact, and legacy of the Frankfurt Kitchen, shedding light on how it transformed kitchen design and women’s roles in the household. While the Frankfurt Kitchen is celebrated as a triumph of modernity, it also raises difficult questions about feminism, design, and the evolving role of women in the domestic sphere.

The Origins of the Frankfurt Kitchen

In the early 20th century, kitchens were largely considered the realm of women and domestic servants. They were spaces associated with drudgery and unpaid labor. Women were burdened with not only cooking but also laundry, childcare, and even factory work, all without compensation. These conditions prompted early feminists to advocate for design solutions that would make women’s lives easier, but just which solutions might work, and how to fund and execute them, was a challenge for decades. Enter Schütte-Lihotzky.

Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, an Austrian architect, played a pivotal role in reimagining the kitchen’s design. In the 1920s, she joined a housing project in Frankfurt led by city planner and architect Ernst May. This ambitious government program aimed to provide housing to address post-war shortages and stimulate German industry.

Schütte-Lihotzky was tasked with designing a small, affordable, and highly efficient kitchen that would be separate from the living room. Her design was informed by Christine Frederick’s then recently published work on household efficiency. She conducted meticulous studies of how women used kitchens, aiming to minimize unnecessary movements and make cooking as quick and easy as possible.

The Frankfurt Kitchen’s Key Innovations

Schütte-Lihotzky’s design incorporated several innovative features that would become standard in modern kitchens:

Compact Layout: The Frankfurt Kitchen’s super-compact layout was designed to fit in relatively small apartments, making efficient use of limited space.
Standardization: The kitchen was mass-produced off-site, a novel concept at the time. This standardization allowed for consistent design and efficient, economical construction.
Space-Saving Appliances: The kitchen featured space-saving appliances, including a fold-down ironing board and a “cook box” that used residual stove heat for slow cooking.
Organization: The kitchen included 12 identical measuring cups with labeled cubby holes for different ingredients, reducing the need for multiple utensils.
Efficiency: Schütte-Lihotzky applied principles of scientific management to minimize physical exertion for the person working in the kitchen. Every movement was streamlined to make cooking more efficient.

A Complex Feminist Legacy

Between 1926 and 1930, approximately 10,000 Frankfurt Kitchens were installed in public housing units in Frankfurt. While architects and housing leaders praised its design, it did not always align with residents’ actual needs. Separating the kitchen from other living spaces proved problematic for many women who needed to tend to children while cooking.

Schütte-Lihotzky’s Frankfurt Kitchen has a difficult relationship with feminism. While it aimed to lessen the burden of housework for women and introduced innovative design elements, it also raised questions about the role of private kitchens in women’s liberation. In the 1980s, as second-wave feminists revisited the kitchen, some questioned whether private kitchens could ever truly liberate women or if they needed to be abolished. The Frankfurt Kitchen’s efficiency, while groundbreaking, also led to increased expectations of domestic duties.

Today, kitchens remain central to our lives, serving as gathering spaces and classrooms for food culture. Acknowledging the historical burden placed on women, and especially women of color, in the kitchen, discussion today focuses on whether women have a choice in their involvement in cooking and domestic work.

A Pioneer of Modern Design

Despite its mixed reception among residents, the Frankfurt Kitchen had a lasting impact on international kitchen design. In the 1960s and 1970s, Schütte-Lihotzky and her Frankfurt Kitchen gained renewed attention from architects and historians, inspiring endless variations on her time and space-saving innovations. Though she received little credit during her lifetime, she was eventually recognized as a pioneer of modern kitchen design.

Schütte-Lihotzky revolutionized kitchen design and introduced numerous innovations that continue to shape modern kitchens. Its legacy is celebrated for its contributions to efficiency and functionality in the kitchen. However, it also prompts critical questions about feminism, the role of women in the home, and the evolving design of domestic spaces. As we reflect on the Frankfurt Kitchen’s impact, we must consider how kitchen design intersects with gender equality and women’s liberation in the contemporary world.

If you’re curious to learn more about the Frankfurt Kitchen, there’s a wonderful 99% invisible episode about it. While not currently on view, it is periodically possible to see a Frankfurt Kitchen in person at the Museum of Modern Art, where you can get a sense of how truly small the footprint of this kitchen is. For a quick and playful summary, listen to this incredible song by Robert Rotifer, a tribute to Schütte-Lihotzky’s genius.

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Design Object Series N. 009

Ray Eames and the House of Cards

In our Design Object Series we highlight iconic objects designed by women. Many of the contributions of women to design have been obscured if not erased throughout history. We want to do our part to counteract this effect by celebrating the women behind a wide range of iconic design objects. In this issue, we salute Ray Eames for developing the House of Cards. We’ve mentioned Ray before in this series for her work on the Shell Chair, which she designed with husband and design giant Charles Eames. This design, though, is hers, and Ray is increasingly getting the attention she deserves.

In the world of design, there are creations that stand the test of time, captivating the imaginations of both children and adults alike. One such design is the Eames House of Cards. While Ray and Charles collaborated on many projects in the studio, and this project is no different, the House of Cards is officially attributed to Ray in the Eames archive. In this issue, we’ll cover its roots in childhood play, its many variations, and its enduring appeal as a design object.

Inspired by Childhood Play

In the early 1950s, the Eames embarked on a mission to design toys that not only entertained but also educated. The House of Cards was one of the results of this objective, designed by Ray in 1952. The House of Cards finds its origins in the simple childhood pastime of stacking playing cards. Ray Eames, known for her innovative and hands-on approach to design, took this game to new heights.

What set the Eames cards apart from conventional cards was its transformative, modular design. Ray crafted rigid, plastic-coated paper cards, each adorned with six notches spaced strategically around the edges. These notches allowed the cards to slot together, forming sturdy and expansive structures limited only by the user’s imagination.

While the Eames House of Cards was a departure from traditional playing cards, it paid homage to its origins. One design concept, ultimately not included in the deck but preserved in the Eames archives, featured a series of cards with a single red heart in the center of each. These paper hearts, meticulously cut and pasted by Ray Eames onto each card, evoked the spirit of the Ace of Hearts from a traditional card deck. This illustrated how she took standard playing cards as a starting point for further experimentation.

Ray’s card structures were also far more colorful and engaging than the traditional card towers of the time. Two versions of the deck were created, each containing 54 cards with 54 unique designs: the “Picture Deck” and the “Pattern Deck.” The “Picture Deck” featured curated objects from around the her home, carefully arranged and photographed, infusing each card with a piece of their personal world. The “Pattern Deck” showcased a series of mostly geometric patterns. Images of the early prototypes and first generation printings can be seen in the Eames.com digital archive.

More Than a Toy

The Eames House of Cards captured the hearts of children and adults alike. It was so popular that several variations were developed over the years, including the Giant House of Cards, in 1954, and the Computer House of Cards. These variations are still available today, with the Small and Giant decks sold at the MoMA design store and the Giant deck an object in MoMA’s collection. Wanting to expand on the concept as a tool for education and creativity, the Eames Office later designed the Create-It-All deck, a blank version that allows you to make your own custom cards.

The House of Cards is more than just a toy; it’s a design object that represents creativity, interaction, learning, and play. Its ability to engage generations and foster innovation underscores Eames’ remarkable vision. This iconic creation continues to inspire architects, designers, and dreamers of all ages, reminding us that good design knows no boundaries.

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Design Object Series N. 008

Susan Kare and the Macintosh Icons

In our Design Object Series we highlight iconic objects designed by women. Many of the contributions of women to design have been obscured if not erased throughout history. We want to do our part to counteract this effect by celebrating the women behind a range of objects that you’re sure to recognize. In this issue, we salute Susan Kare, the woman who gave the Macintosh a smile and revolutionized computer graphics. Kare is the creator of many of the iconic symbols and images we encounter daily in our digital interfaces. Forty years ago, her groundbreaking designs for the Apple Macintosh forever transformed the way we interact with computers. From the friendly smiling Macintosh to the trash can and computer disk icons, her work has left an indelible mark on the digital era.

The Birth of Macintosh Icons

In 1983, Susan Kare, a young sculptor, received a call from an old friend, Andy Hertzfeld, who was then a lead software architect for Macintosh. Hertzfeld asked if she would be interested in designing graphics and typefaces for the new personal computer Apple was planning to release in 1984. Despite her limited experience with computers, Kare embraced the opportunity. Her first task was creating Chicago, the Macintosh’s boldest custom font and the default system font from 1984–1997. Her next was the artistic challenge of creating intuitive graphics to help the user navigate the system.

A Creative Foundation: Needlepoint and Grids

Creating icons for early computer screens posed a unique challenge due to their primitive CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) technology and limited resolution, which relied on a bit-mapped matrix system. Kare and Hertzfeld devised an ingenious solution. They treated the matrix as a fine grid and employed the smallest graph paper they could find—one 32-by-32 square grid per icon—to craft the designs. Kare painstakingly colored in the tiny squares to bring the graphics to life.

These small scale grids led to an unexpected source of inspiration—needlepoint. Kare’s mother had taught her the art of counted-thread embroidery, which laid the foundation for her understanding of grids and patterns. In a Smithsonian Magazine article, Kare shared that the black and white grids she was working with, “reminded me of working needlepoint, knitting patterns or mosaics. I was lucky to have had a mother who enjoyed crafts.”

Revolutionizing the User Interface

One of Susan Kare’s most valuable contributions to the user experience was the infusion of warmth and accessibility into the world of computing. Early computers were complex machines designed primarily for scientists and engineers. Kare’s whimsical graphics, such as the smiling Mac and the bomb icon that appeared during system errors, eased the transition for ordinary users navigating the new digital landscapes.

Previous to Apple’s early icons, computing commands were given via lines of code, opaque and unfriendly to the untrained user. Kare’s icons were more than mere images; they were intuitive visual cues for users. She understood that to make computers accessible to the average person, they needed to speak in pictures rather than lines of code. Particularly famous are classic symbols like the “delete” trash can icon, the “save” computer disk icon, and “file” page with a folded corner icon, all of which remain ubiquitous in computing today.

A Legacy of Creative Excellence

After her time at Apple, Susan Kare continued to leave her mark on the tech world. She served as the creative director for Steve Jobs’ NeXT, Inc., a company that would eventually be acquired by Apple. In 1989, she founded her own design firm, where she created graphics for numerous clients, including Autodesk, Facebook, IBM, Microsoft, and PayPal.

Some of her notable contributions include designing the playing cards for Microsoft’s Windows 3.0 Solitaire game and developing virtual gift icons for Facebook in 2007. In 2015, she took on the role of creative director at Pinterest, where she created iconic images like the push pins that symbolize “pinning” items on the website.

Susan Kare’s ability to translate complex commands into intuitive visual cues and her knack for infusing warmth and accessibility into computing have had a profound impact on the world. Today, her designs and their innumerable ancestors are an integral part of our digital experience. Her lifetime achievement award from the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum is a testament to her enduring legacy.

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Design Object Series N. 007

Janese Swanson and the Password Journal

In our Design Object Series we highlight iconic objects designed by women. Thousands of objects that you use and appreciate everyday…surprise! Women designed them! Many of the contributions of women to design have been obscured if not erased throughout history. We want to do our part to counteract this effect by celebrating the women behind a range of objects that you’re sure to recognize. While many design objects featured so far have been from the 19th and 20th centuries, we don’t want to overlook the more recent contributions women have made to design. In this issue we salute Janese Swanson, an American inventor and the founder of Girl Tech toys.

Janese Swanson always loved technology. In high school she was the only female salesperson in the Sears electronics department. In her doctorate degree in organization and leadership, her thesis was on gender issues in product design. In the 80s she worked developing children’s games for a software company, at the same time developing her own ideas and gadgets for her daughter.

Girl Tech

She founded Girl Tech toys in 1995, certain that boys weren’t the only ones who could appreciate tech-based toys. Girls could, too, though the market wasn’t catering to them. She created a line of affordable electronic gadgets for girls. What set Girl Tech’s toys apart was that they challenged the gender stereotypes prevalent in the toy industry. The designs were not pink or centered around dolls and ponies, but rather appealed to the universal interest in playing with gadgets. Swanson believed that girls have unique play styles different from boys, and that there should not be any stigma around this difference.

Swanson’s toys often address the themes of privacy and independence, providing girls with a sense of a secret life. This concept stemmed from Swanson’s childhood experiences, where she valued her privacy and personal space. Her own childhood was marked by limited access to toys, leading her to invent and create things on her own.

Her toys, manufactured under Radica Games’ Girl Tech brand and later purchased by Mattel, included products like the Door Pass, which prevented unauthorized snooping, and the Beam-It flashlight, a mini projector. However, her most popular creation was the Password Journal, a voice-activated diary accessible only with the owner’s password. Swanson’s theories proved correct. The Password Journal launched in 1999 and became a top-selling toy in the youth electronics category, climbing to the top ten that year.

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