3. Good design is aesthetic
The aesthetic quality of a product is integral to its usefulness because products we use every day affect our person and our well-being. But only well-executed objects can be beautiful.
Chanel No.5
(1m 25s reading time)
What better example for aesthetic beauty than a classic perfume that is still as popular today as it was when it was launched on Parisienne high society almost 100 years ago?
Chanel No5 was innovative for both it’s scent and packaging design. It has remained a timeless classic since it’s launch in 1921.
Coco Chanel had arrived in Paris in 1909 and by 1921 she was the belle of the Parisian elite after opening a number of successful boutiques. As someone who was fastidiously clean and bemoaned the smell of women around her, she wanted to create a new scent for the modern woman.
Rather than create a single note scent as was normal in the 1920’s, she wanted a modern mix. She wanted a fresh smell that lasted. The problem was fresh citrus smells didn’t last long on the skin. Chemists had recently isolated powerful chemicals called aldehydes which could artificially create these smells, exaggerate notes and add complexity to a fragrance.
However, perfumers were hesitant to use them due to their power.
Ernest Beaux, a curious and daring perfumier, was selected by Chanel to create her fragrance. He developed 10 scents and Chanel’s favourite was the 5th.
The bottle design has remained largely unchanged since 1930. It’s design was very different to the more lavishly designed perfume bottles of the time. Chanel set the standard in restraint. Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. The design is said to be based on a whisky decanter used by her lover.
The label, black sans serif text on a white label, complimented both the simplicity of the bottle and the hats and clothes created by Chanel. In 1959 it joined the permanent collection of the New York Museum of Modern Art.
“Between two products equal in price, function and quality, the one with the most attractive exterior will win.”
Shared under the Creative Commons CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 licence. With thanks to Dieter Rams and Vitsoe.
