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Porsche 911 design 3 Design Lessons from the Porsche 911        

A Look at the Iconic Design of the Legendary Porsche 911

September 11, 2014

We love checking out the design of new cars – and appreciate the features and look of older cars even more. The Porsche 911 remains the best-selling Porsche model by far today. The first 911’s sold in the U.S. carried a price tag of $6,000, while today’s model starts at nearly $85,000.

Inc.com writes about what makes the 911 such a disruptive sports car, and we believe these three principles apply across all product designs – whether an automobile, consumer electronic, healthcare device or any other product.

1. Your Product Should Multitask

“From the beginning, the Porsche 911 was designed to be both a race car and a car for urban streets, a principle that has remained for 50 years.”

In product design, the design of wearable technology, for example, allows the user to track several different things at once – from sleep patterns and activity levels to your heart rate and calories burned. Consumers want a product that offers a number of different features and benefits, as opposed to just one.

wearable technology

2. Design to be Distinctive.

“The 911’s simple, streamlined curves combined with its minimalistic body shape that appears to just barely cover the mechanical equipment underneath define Porsche’s unmistakable style.”

This design lesson is one that is top of mind for all designers – we want to stand out from the crowd. It’s something we think about in every product or service we develop. When you’re design stands apart, whether an electronic device, piece of furniture or kitchen appliance, the consumer remembers your brand before all others.

dyson vacuum

3. Never Stop Reinventing.

“While the overall design of the 911 remains largely unchanged, Porsche has rolled out seven generations of the model since 1963. While the original and most recent versions next to each other reveal just how much has changed, from every angle, today’s model is still a 911.”

Apple products seem to set the stage for this design lesson. With the introduction of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, Apple continues to reinvent the original iPhone. They use this strategy on every product they design – each year announcing an improved design and system.

iphone evolution

While these three design lessons were originally focused on the Porsche 911, they can be applied across all design disciplines. As a product development firm, it is important to remember each of these when designing new products or services for our clients.

To read the full story, check out Inc.com’s site here.

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