Does Design Matter?

Last weekend I visited a Ducati/BMW motorcycle shop with my father-in-law. The Ducatis blew me away! I’ve seen a Ducati bike on the road here or there, but I’ve never been close enough to really take the time to appreciate their exquisite design. Just by looking at the bikes, I could see that there was careful thought and planning behind each every piece. For a moment I had in my head, a picture of an Italian designer/engineer pondering over a tiny screw and it’s impact on the design of the bike.

While we were in the shop a man came in to check and see if his bike had come in yet. Apparently there is a waiting list at the store for Ducati bikes, because I heard one of the employees tell him that he moved to number 20 on the list. I did some further research when I got home and found that this is normal at just about any Ducati store in America.

So why are these Italian bikes in such demand here in the USA? It’s their superior design. As Paola Antonelli, the Museum of Modern Art curator stated during the recent TED2007 conference, “…in Italy design is normal.” Though some believe that design is an unnecessary attribute to make products and brands simply look nice, design can and should be much more than that.

Like the Ducati bikes, design (in corporate function) should be meticulously planned. It should be in direct line with the values of the company or product.