Monday, November 1, 2010

"Pencils"

   Pencils are used everyday through many different aspects, from kids using it to write in classrooms to designers using it to sketch in the studio. The pencil is the ultimate weapon of expression, and it comes in many different forms. The designers of the various types of pencils have to take into consideration the aspects of form and function. They have to design what is suitable for the people’s needs. My favorite design is the Zebra mechanical pencil. 
   The form and shape of this design is sleek and slim giving the user more control and stability. The scale of the pencil is about the average size of any other pencil, but it is a little bit shorter. The pencil is well balanced, giving the user more freedom in where they want to put their weight when in use. When designers are designing the different types of pencils, they have to consider the forms, and function of the pencil itself. They have to know what it feels like to use the pencil before they disperse it to the consumers. 
   Comfort plays a vital role in this development because function can only play so much. A pencil is a pencil, we see designers trying to add lights to a pencil, spiffy erasers and so on. They try to add so many things to a pencil when the best things to do it keep it simple. The pencil can be created in many different ways to accommodate every different user, but to create a most comfortable one would require changing the whole form of the pencil itself.