My ten favourite pieces of product design #6: yellow oilskin

I’ve attracted some mockery for this one, but I believe a true design classic is the hardwearing yellow oilskin. I’ve seen so many lightweight nylon/goretex waterproofs expire after a couple of years, I deided to go back to basics;

Basic, heavy and durable

It is about as featureless as a jacket can be, but does the basic stuff well- keeping the rain out. Its only downside is its extreme weight, and the ‘Norwegian Fisherman’ comments some of my snootier friends and family make. This particular jacket actually saved my elbow from a scrape during my recent bike slip- a lesser waterproof, I am sure, would have ripped quite badly!

Good design is invisible

Graphic design is ubiquitous in this age of information. But the best design is invisible- it should serve up delectable content without fuss, like Jeeves dishing up a kipper to a grateful Bertie Wooster on a Sunday morning.

I don’t think this means good graphic design is ‘non-design’, or even plain, just that it should quietly enhance its message, not detract from it.