Pushing the Boundaries of Design - BusinessWeek

I recently read this article from the June 12, 2007 issue of BusinessWeek titled, "Pushing the Boundaries of Design." This article is very fitting of our class because it looks at the basics of design and how design has changed over the years. I found the first paragraph very interesting because it was able to grab my attention.

"The Frisbee. The escalator. Reinforced concrete. These very different inventions share one thing in common: They weren't invented exactly—each was borrowed from an unrelated field. The flying toy was inspired by the metal pie tins of the Frisbie Baking Company that college students of yore tossed for fun. The escalator was originally conceived as a Coney Island amusement ride. And reinforced concrete was first patented in 1848 by a French gardener trying to develop a better flowerpot."

not only did this article do its job by grabbing my attention - one example of good design - it also mentions aspects of design that we have not discussed in class. this is the idea that design can come from an origin that is not obvious and not suspected. Not all design needs to be planned precisely.