The Beetle, the iMac, and How They Changed Product Design

The most prolific and arguably well-known vehicle in history, Volkswagen Beetle, has begun its third life as VW rolled out the 2012 Beetle this week. The car has retained its signature form, though updated for the twenty-first century. The changes may be subtle, but the Beetle is seeking to make a different impression. Compared to the second generation Beetle (1998-2011), the roof is flatter and the hood is longer, cutting a more aggressive form. Sharing the A5 platform with the new Jetta, the car is longer, wider, and lower than its predecessor. Add some low-profile rims, and the car steps away from the “cuteness” that became associated with earlier Beetles. An optional 200-hp Turbo powerplant and an electronic front differential will give the car some performance to match its new image. All of this is an effort to bring the car out of its niche and into a wider, global market.

Yes, its a reissue of a reissue, but the second-generation Beetle (officially called the New Beetle) was the car that made retro reissues cool. A string of redesigned reissued vehicles followed from other car manufacturers in subsequent years, many of which are still with us today. Chrysler’s PT Cruiser lead the way in the States, while BMW’s Mini gained attention worldwide. J Mays, the lead designer on the New Beetle concept project, went on to become Ford’s VP of Design and oversee a number of other notable retro-inspired vehicles including the 2002 Ford Thunderbird and the 2005 Ford Mustang.

The New Beetle captured hearts with its mix of nostalgia, familiarity, and a fresh simplicity. VW managed to make a vehicle that seemed both fun and futuristic at the same time. As a friend and Beetle owner once told me, “You simple can’t have a bad day driving this car. It puts you in a good mood.”

Consumer product design has always taken cues from the automotive industry, and the New Beetle’s influence was widely felt across a number of product categories. It was the emotional response that companies were seeking- the idea of a product suddenly became fun, unique, and desirable, despite the fact that it really wasn’t anything different inside. The New Beetle was still just a car with an engine and four wheels. But the emotive response made it different. I watched my colleauge Chris Arnholt design Kodak’s DC240/280 in 1998, and incorporate the round, playful shapes of the Beetle into a digital camera. Inside, it was just a digital camera, but the visceral response it prompted made the product less complicated and more fun to use.

Remember the Michael Graves Toaster? Its just a toaster.. the technology inside hasn’t changed since the invention of electricity. However, this is a fun toaster. The playful and simple aesthetic makes its use more enjoyable.

The New Beetle was one of the most influential vehicle designs at the beginning of this century, but it could not have achieved this status alone. It had a symbiotic relationship with another highly influential product released in the same year… the original Apple iMac. Popular design was ushered into this century by these two products. Apple and VW were thrust onto pedestals as champions of good design and “thinking different” about their products.

If the New Beetle was influential in product design, the iMac was even more so. Their stories have numerous parallels. The Apple Macintosh already had a reputation for ease of use and simplicity in design. The iMac took all of this and made it fun. Through the playful integration of color and form, the complexities of the personal computer seemed so minimal and non-threatening. The computer became a fashionable item- people picked a color that matched their interior decor or personality. My Grandmother bought one! (I still remember it sitting on an antique rolltop desk where my grandparents courageously learned about ‘email’ and ‘digital pictures’.) Rich translucent colors and organic forms pervaded product design. Everyone was after the emotional connection that the iMac and the Beetle established.

You can see it in these commercials:

Apple has carried the legacy of the iMac well, brandishing a consistent design strategy that has led them to the top of the consumer market and gathered a fiercely loyal fan base. Apple’s story is no secret, rising within the last decade from near death to the become the most valuable technology company on the planet in 2010. Though many factors contributed to this success, the turnaround clearly began with the candy-colored iMac.

The design gestalt from Apple and Volkswagen has matured since these groundbreaking introductions. Its an understatement to say that Apple strongly influences product design, but Volkswagen’s influence has waned. The colorful iMacs changed quickly in subsequent models; the New Beetle didn’t (much). Critics will say that VW kept the New Beetle alive too long- its appeal clearly declined toward the last few years of its production life. The 2012 Beetle moves in the same direction that Apple did with the iMac- away from cute and playful toward a sophisticated and powerful. Will Volkswagen return to the influential position it once had? If any vehicle can still pull it off, its the Beetle.