So it took a little while for me to think of an example of good design(good design is hard to notice right?), but then it hit me... the modern aluminum can. Cans are more durable than glass bottles and 100% of the material in an aluminum can is able to be recycled into another aluminum can of exactly the same dimensions. This is not the case for plastic bottles, since most plastic requires fancy(and expensive!) chemistry magic in order to be recycled. The end result is that a portion of the plastic used in a bottle is actually lost when the bottle is recycled. Also, plastic is derived from petroleum products and therefore production of plastic bottles places demand on oil production, which raises gas prices and brings us closer to the downside of the oil peak and most of all makes Al Gore REEEEAALLY angry.
So, cans are durable and probably the best drink container for the environment, but what else makes an aluminum can such a great design? Well, for starters the modern pop tab is very intuitive. I doubt anyone in this class has ever had to tell somebody how to open a can. Also, cans are made from the highest quality aluminum available, even higher grade than that used in fighter aircraft, this allows the can to be very very thin while still maintaining durability. The super-thin can cuts down on manufacturing costs, since very little material is used in production.
Finally, cans protect their beverage better than any other drink container. The caps on glass and plastic bottles do not seal perfectly, and over time any carbonation will diminish. This is not the case with the pop tab on cans. Also, alpha-acids, the characteristic chemical in hops - a key ingredient in beer, break down when exposed to sunlight. This causes sulfur compounds to form as a by-product and causes a "skunky" taste. Brown beer bottles are better than green ones at blocking sunlight but virtually no light is able to penetrate an aluminum can, thus preserving the beer better.
Canned beer has a very bad reputation in America, but it is possible to get high quality craft beers in cans from small breweries across the country. Rochester's own Beers Of The World carries some from Colorado, and the aluminum cans the beer comes in ensures the product arrives as fresh as the day it was packaged.
Do yourself and mother earth a favor, and enjoy a tasty and refreshing canned beverage in the name of good design.
-Kevin E.
P.S. the Xbox 360 post was also mine, since there's two Kevins in the class I'll be signing as Kevin E. from now on
So, cans are durable and probably the best drink container for the environment, but what else makes an aluminum can such a great design? Well, for starters the modern pop tab is very intuitive. I doubt anyone in this class has ever had to tell somebody how to open a can. Also, cans are made from the highest quality aluminum available, even higher grade than that used in fighter aircraft, this allows the can to be very very thin while still maintaining durability. The super-thin can cuts down on manufacturing costs, since very little material is used in production.
Finally, cans protect their beverage better than any other drink container. The caps on glass and plastic bottles do not seal perfectly, and over time any carbonation will diminish. This is not the case with the pop tab on cans. Also, alpha-acids, the characteristic chemical in hops - a key ingredient in beer, break down when exposed to sunlight. This causes sulfur compounds to form as a by-product and causes a "skunky" taste. Brown beer bottles are better than green ones at blocking sunlight but virtually no light is able to penetrate an aluminum can, thus preserving the beer better.
Canned beer has a very bad reputation in America, but it is possible to get high quality craft beers in cans from small breweries across the country. Rochester's own Beers Of The World carries some from Colorado, and the aluminum cans the beer comes in ensures the product arrives as fresh as the day it was packaged.
Do yourself and mother earth a favor, and enjoy a tasty and refreshing canned beverage in the name of good design.
-Kevin E.
P.S. the Xbox 360 post was also mine, since there's two Kevins in the class I'll be signing as Kevin E. from now on
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