Comments on: No, you bite me, Karim Rashid.

By: T. E. Samad

T. E. Samad — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 16:20:28 +0000

This particular “Bite Me” chair by Karim Rashid just doesn’t impress me, and, yes, it does have a commonality with Castle’s chair. But let’s not judge a successful industrial designer by only focusing on one of his products.

KR has designed over 2, 900 products, and many of his designs are in the permanent collection of museums around the world.

Sure, KR comes up with some horrible, tacky designs now and then, but his successes in life definitely outweigh his failures.

By: Snewlin

Snewlin — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 15:42:36 +0000

‘…that doesn’t make them environmentally superior to no chair at all.’

‘…if we’re going to have plastic blobjects at all, let’s have Castle make them.’

Easily two of the worst points of design criticism I have ever read. Firstly, this argument that no chair at all is better than a recyclable one is a joke. Do you expect designers not to do their work? To turn down projects? To reject opportunities to make something they believe in just cause you don’t approve?

Second, is there not enough room in this world for more than one designer/artist who does organic work? Please inform Zaha Hadid, Anish Kapoor and the late great Pierre Pauline… amongst others.

Also, have fun buying an eco-friendly resin and fiberglass Castell chair. I don’t image this blog generates enough ad money to get one. The Rashid chair on the other hand… A couple of shifts at the coffee shop and you could probably get a couple.

Blogs are so sad because the criticism is so banal and takes on the tone of a scared student or bitter old-timer who can’t get shit made.

Have fun being a hater… Especially on that low hanging fruit Karim Rashid.

By: footagehead

footagehead — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 18:02:23 +0000

Oh, now I get it, thanks for the 411 on this bogus Canadian “designer”, I thought he was one of the semi finalists for the reality show
“Top Designers……Who Can I Copy Now ?”

By: LB

LB — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 23:38:35 +0000

Agreed all round, even with your point, Sally, about the dissimilarity… I just meant that they’re both toothlike. If someone’s going to make another “tooth” chair, why not try to actually improve on the original, instead of producing something so uniformly crappy? I’m not a giant fan of things made to look like other things in the first place – I don’t need a bar of soap that looks like a helicopter or birthday cake either – but if I had to judge between these tooth chairs, Castle leaves Rashid in the dust.

By: Sally Cinnamon

Sally Cinnamon — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 22:07:42 +0000

I don’t know enough about the lifespan or environmental impact of the new types of plastic to give an informed opinion, but I totally agree that the best product in this regard is the one that is never made.

I don’t think it resembles the molar chair though. I just don’t see it. Might as well be inspired by the Eames plastic armchair mounted on the Elephant stool.

Instead I find its greatest weakness lies in its bubble-gum aesthetics. A product cannot just be well designed and well built. It should also possess a timeless beauty. That way it remains in use for longer.

By: Eva

Eva — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 07:26:07 +0000

That’s the difference between design and green tea. Green tea tastes even better as a rehash. But a mass audience ignores the fresh new original design. It takes them 20 or 30 years to get aquainted to it. That’s why imitations are more successful than the original.

By: Bree

Bree — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 01:17:57 +0000

Totally down with your Karim Rashid hate-on. I wish they would tell young impressionable design students that this is exactly the kind of design that they should be working against and not aspiring to. I am so bummed he is one of the most famous Canadian designers. All style (and not even really) and no substance.

xob.