Wandering around a motor show last year, only two cars really interested me – the Ferrari F430:

and the Mitsubishi Evo X:

This troubled me – that in spite of a plethora of choice and my significant interest in cars, all but two left me cold. I sat looking at the Evo X and pondered until I came up with a formula of sorts for desirability in design:

Desirability = (clarity of design purpose) x
(commitment to that purpose) x
? (an aesthetic factor)

In other words, I’m wondering whether the Evo X, the F430 and other products are desirable because:

• they’re designed with a very clear purpose in mind (to not be all things to all people),
• the manufacturer totally commits their products to that purpose, and
• the designers made them beautiful as befits their purpose.

This, then, may be a useful framework for considering the desirability of your products:

• How clear are we on the design purpose of our products?
• How committed are we to delivering on that purpose?
• Is there a way to increase the aesthetic value of our products?

Or in summary form:

• Are our products highly desirable to a niche market (or equally undesirable to everyone)?

Finally, I commend the dieline blog to you as inspiration for extraordinary product and packaging design. It contains countless examples of commodities that have been elevated to objects of desire through clear, committed and beautiful design.