Dyson Industrial Design Language Analysis 

Dyson's aesthetic seems substantially influenced by the work of architect Richard Rogers. ...Hi-tech, functional expression, transparency, color.

I gotta admit, the first time I saw a Dyson commercial I was totally struck by it. As an adult, over 10 years later, I still want one. It just *seems* like the best vacuum, regardless of whether or not it is.

am i the only one who think dyson looks like toy, like those fake engine part hose made of plastic, it's not quite utilitarian

As someone who has some very good friends who have worked at Dyson for many years, the average person (and unintentionally oblivious designer) have NO idea how their design team works. 'Thousands of designers and design engineers working like monkeys and typewriters' is how it was descrived to me. Anything that is deemed innovative or well designed comes from having the time, resources and money to test thousands of iterations (one guy I know spent 4 months testing 55 different bristle types in hundreds of different combinations and arrangements) and pick the one that is the most efficient. A distinct lack of creative thinking and more 'test everything until it's 1% better and then try to beat it'. No problem with that level of testing and development, but certainly not the hub of creativity and innovation that they try to portray.

Dyson products look like an invention made in a futuristic high-tech laboratory, something you'd see in Tony Stark's lab. The parts were already there to do the work, the cool spinning motions of different parts and particles, so just take advantage of this and let it market itself to the customer. Everyone loves Star Wars and so when vacuums, which were previously associated with old cleaning ladies were reborn with a Star Wars identity it made them something people needed.

As a child of a poor working class family, Dyson products, specifically their vacuums when they first started advertising on TV, were like a view into luxury, and also my first introduction into the idea that things could be both elegant and functional.

This design style reminds me of how I would design machines: you create the volumes that will do the function, stack it all together in 3d and then fillet the hell out of everything to make it smooth for feel, looks and moldable in a molding machine. Note that those cylinders and tubes that you describe are actual functioning things and they are called cyclone filters.

I once had a Dyson vacuum. It was the filthiest thing in my house. It was so difficult to clean because of it’s shape.

While the dyson design language certainly sets itself apart, in the current day it's such bad taste that you have the looks as compromise for good technology. I am most reminded of a kids idea of how futuristic technology should look like. The shape references to industrial machinery are pretentious because it's made out of shiny plastic after all. The color schemes completely ignore that these things have to be put in someones home and not look completely alien. Chances are, if you can afford a dyson, your interior color palette is not complimented by shiny grey, pink and orange. The overall design is an overstatement in so many ways which results in the tacky look. Dysons will always look cheap and have a big surprise for you when you see the actual price of a the product. Please stop smoking crack dyson product designers.

Dyson products looks like alien themed happymeal toys from the early 2000's. Extremely plasticy and tacky. Anyone with particularly good hearing will also know about the awefully loud high frequenzies these things emit while operating. Dyson went for "stand out", which ended up being the only thing the products excel at.

Hearing about how Dyson brings a very industrial, technical and serious perception to their design, and then seeing the end of the video where the vacuum is called 'Fluffy'

I don’t think designers should be aiming to design like dyson and mimic their aesthetics. I think they should look at How dyson effectively uses shapes material etc to meet the unique needs of their customers. And apply a similar process of thought to a designers unique customer’s requirements.

My gut reaction to the design is they’re trying to convey their device as being futuristic while retain a robust lite industrial look to it while still mainly being clearly a consumer product by mixing the industrial with a lot of modern design this all combines to create a sense of quality and luxury without resorting to high end Materials, “because the products just that good”. So my three words are futuristic:, performant/powerful, and quality/luxury . Let’s see how we compare :) tho I only get the first two pictures of their vacuum!

An interesting comparison would be with Henry Hoover from Pneumatic International. Another popular British vacuum design, but almost the exact opposite of those from Dyson due to simplicity and the entire appeal coming from a pair of eyes.

Design wise, there's nothing out there like dyson. Definitely primitive yet futuristic. As for the quality of the product, it's garbage. It's like they put all their money into design but then went to a manufacturer of subgrade children's toys. I almost bought one of these vacuums when I first came out but after trying one I noticed how poorly they worked. If you're looking for a good vacuum, there's nothing like a Miele.

Great explanation! I'll admit that I didn't understand all the hype about Dyson at first. I initially found the primitive shapes and industrial aesthetic not very pleasing to the eye. Now I get it. Form definitely follows function here, and I better appreciate how the mechanical and technical aspects of the product are highlighted.

I wrote a massive 14 thousand word report on Dyson for my engineering class this year, I got so interested in the topic test it ended up 4x as long as it needed to be. (in fairness I was told it had to be twice as long as the actual target length)

What I really hate about Dyson Products is the high frequency noise. It's really annoying, I need to wear noise canceling headphones to make it tolerable. They need to start with sound engineering.

Not a big deal but very quickly the transparent dust-holder become quite milky with use.

This is fantastic. I had a lightbulb moment when you mentioned industrial pops of colour for utility. The factory, the subway, the on button. It's the same language. In this moment, I realised the universality of design.

I know I am fun at parties but dyson did not invent cyclone separation. He just miniaturized it. It comes from sawmills.

Thanks for another interesting subject. The Dyson vacuum cleaner and it’s later hair dryer share the same idea - the use of a high speed axial flow blower (fan or turbine) which was unique for domestic devices because of unacceptable noise it generated and relatively high friction losses. The first bagless Hoovers were incredibly noisy because the cyclone dust separator inside was just one big resonance chamber and was a financial flop as a result. Dyson realised that by using multiple smaller cyclones he could reduce the noise factor and improve the separation of the very light household dust particles. It came at the cost of function dominating form and the technology change was used as a unique selling point (USP) with great effect. With the hair dryer, Dyson used another industrial principle called the Venturi effect to hide the fan blades in the handle from view and create an illusion of a fan without moving parts. This time form dominated function. Extraordinary expensive engineering made acceptable by elegant design. (The Tesla cybertruck design being function over form like the vacuum cleaner)

I personally find that their vacuum cleaners look like toys.

Cool video, Precise classic analysis of product design, So why any American brands didn't apply such an aesthetic to their design?

the vacuum designs never really did much for me, but the dyson fans will always be so cool. i dont even need a fan and i want one of these, theyre just look so futuristic and interesting

Dyson's products are not durable, perform poorly, and are way too expensive. So much marketing wank. If you want 400 dollars worth of vacuum cleaner, get one of those commercial backpack vacuums. They work great. Bag vaccums loose much less suction as they fill then bagless types, and you have to empty the bagless container like 50 times for every bag. When a bagless is like 1/10 full they start to struggle. Dyson design is not AT ALL industrial, its modern consumer styling. Real "industrial" versions of items are sold by their spec sheet and value proposition, not all this wank. I know I know, my engineer is showing.

So I see this from a different view. Dyson products are terrible at their function. They are all design, no function. This is becoming a tend in so many things. I think the future will be well designed products that actually work.

It kind of is that good tho. For those who can afford one its definitely worth it. Literally tore down a V11 handle, and yes there is a lot of real engineering e.g. ceramic motor spindle and what seems to be glass fibre motor housing.

I think that cylinder head-tube lid in the promo video looks really dumb, for what it's worth. The yellow and purple versions are not better. The "tube" things are too narrow to pass meaningful air.

Cheap plastic, clown colors, highest price and absolutely no relation to smart home And it was fully to listen how they were developing a car, it was clear from the very beginning that its just marketing statements Now, dyson's motors are much weaker than majority of leading Chinese manufacturers, so I think they will hopefully go bankrupt

Hey all, if you want to talk more about Dyson's design language with me and others, feel free to check out the discord chat channel :) discord.gg/Q3BFY9nFUQ One thing I want to make clear is that form always follows function. Dyson's decisions are mainly driven by practical engineering constraints and ergonomic constraints of the user. I am not implying that their utilitarian aesthetic is purely some sort of decorative element. The choice to stick to pure utility is still an aesthetic choice in itself, however. It's worth mentioning that James Dyson has a design background in furniture and interior design. He employs a massive team of industrial designers to ensure that a certain visual (and functional) signature shows through in the design work. While there is a heavy emphasis on engineering in Dyson products, there still is also a subtle management of visual design language. I'm now offering a course, as well! Make a killer portfolio and land your dream design job. Enroll in my online industrial design course, Form Fundamentals. bit.ly/335vsqO .

You mean design very expensive stuff with cheap plastic, so it gets broken easily?

To me the thing that throws me off dyson's design is the use of the grey plastic that looks like is trying to me metal but makes the whole thing look cheap and like a toy

Utilitarian??? U tripping have you seen how functional and useless their expensive fans are?

To me it looks quite steampunk.

i want to know why the autocaptioned subtitles are in vietnamese instead of english.

funny, my words were: industrial, engine/jet engine, cylindrical

can see engine, modern, american, not cheap, robotic, wireless

I want a Dyson with more subtle design so I can put it anywhere.

after some years of bagless vacums i got back to the ones with bags and i love them

1:03 somehow reminds me of a science-fiction machine gun

Worked with a former lead ME from Dyson and he talked about their prototyping process informing the design language too. Everything has to be mocked up in cardboard and foam core initially and that would inevitability drive the DL.

Thanks for that brilliant analysis! The side view of the vacuum (especially the yellow one) gives such a stabilty and strenght but also it reminds me a leg of a transformers robot ready to involve in some action.

Looks like a 5 yo wanted to make a cool vacuum cleaner

Loved the analysis and how you talk about the concepts that describe their style

Their large hoovers are seriously hideous and when I've used their small ones they're terrible at sucking up dirt and they get full incredibly quickly. Honestly, you often have to run over the same small piece of dirt 10 times. The plastic also feels really cheap, to the point where you're worried about pressing on the pipe connecting the head to the motor assembly in fears that it'll snap as when you do the whole pipe flexes upwards from it's connection point.

I think it looks like a cheap china plastic toy

James didn't invent an industrial separator... they have been around for forever. He walked past one and then spent decades trying to convince the world they were better. Then put the same fine particle fabric filters in alongside the cyclone. It amazes me that the world believes these are exceptionally engineered products and not just premium painted and aggressively marketed.

Hey man your videos are too great and awesome I really like them, they have thought me alot of things thankyou. Hope you will keep posting such videos.

Great Dyson fanboy. There’s nothing new in dyson except for the looks. Just a heavily advertised brand

Dyson made vacuums looked like sci-fi weapons, Terminator liked guns. They can be loaded/unloaded, have extra parts appearing on a click of a button, with laser and particles screen. They are modern Schwarzenegger Gatling Guns . As such, they achieved a great deal: Making vacuum cleaners desirable for men’s.

idk i dont like dyson designs theyre just too overengineered imo

Really appreciate these videos! As a soon-to-be graduating industrial design student, I have missed this kind of specific brand analysis in school, at least in my uni. Thanks!

I wonder how much time they spend on designing the sound which their appliances generate? The vacuum cleaners and hand dryers have a really characteristic sound that howls with power, but personally is a complete turnoff for me, and I suspect they put out a lot more decibels than they need to.

purple plastic = charge more

These things look awful. I'm yet to see a single Dyson product that looks good, they all look disgusting with childish colours and bulges everywhere. It's even worse when you realise they perform far worse than much cheaper competition. It's like the Apple for subpar motors, but for like really really stupid people.

Dyson turns me off. Give me that Blue and gray Shop-vac anyday! Imma give that thing a hug rn it served me so faithfully!

I really wish the store that I work at would invest in a Dyson vacuum someday. All of the past and current vacuums it has… …sigh… …dare I say, suck!

Most Dyson products look like children's toys. But they usually have superior technology compared to other companies

I think the design indicates its use. It's modularity if that makes sense. It's broken up intentionally.

The words I came up with at the beginning were mechanical, futuristic, flashy

I see “turbulent”. For me, Dyson is a verbative. An adjective verb XD

Awesome video John!

It always remind me of the movie when I watching Dyson's machine videos

Understanding the design language of Dyson products is really hard, it is very subtle and hides behind its function.... But thanks for making it easy for us 😁✨

Ugly, flimsy, overpriced, doesn't live up to the hype.

Very astute analysis! Its a unique perspective towards cleaning-appliances and now I know why. Thanks John.

this comment section is a wreck.... everyone hating on dyson ;_;

Industrial Design here... just found your channel.... great content man... Thanks

Hi, Industrial Design student here! Really great analysis - Dyson is a favourite British company of mine, given their design language. Anyways, love your videos, they help a lot! ❤

Cool designs made of cheap brittle plastic.

Dyson is the wallmart version of Braun design

That was very illustrative and educational, thank you!

I have the Dyson Large Vacuum, the small one, and the hairdryer, I must say that the small vacuum is riddled with issues, and is very flimsy. The large one is working well but its complicated look and assembly, feels that it won't to last and does not make it very user friendly. On the other hand, their hairdryer, is much simpler in design with a very clean human interaction (e.g. the magnetic appendages) and it has worked wonderfully for years. I would say that they need to work on simplifying their design and work on the human Interaction better (dryer excluded)

why there is only vietnam subtitle

This video is very well done.

as long as you think that vacuum is a good design, I wont subscribe - the dryer is nice though

I see Dyson and I am thinking - functional Memphis… it’s a tad over the top in certain aspects and whimsical, yet brushed over with a layer of functionality

Everything Is fine in this video apart the fact that a lot of Little things that u mentioned that u Say, are for design, are actually important component, for example Dyson what u to see their cone filters, they aren't Just props, like the fentilations holes in the phon that actually feed air to the principal fan that make that product work

The hair dryer reminds me of 90's Sony design

After using Dyson vacuum for 5 years I bought Makita when Dyson fell apart. Dyson is very poorly designed piece of crap. Weight distribution, reliability, power - not even close to simple Makita, which also shares battery with other electric tools and had additional light (that Dyson "invented" in 2020) for many years. It's simple and reliable and that's how you design.

you sound like my english teacher explaining to me how to write a 10 page essay on a 3 line poem

That's Sir James O Dyson.

dyson sucks in every aspect.

Why do people hate Dyson so much.

Bay station? Are you from Toronto?

Technic, geometry, performance, transparency

Dyson out here managing to make vacuum cleaners look like science fiction weapons.

I don't think dyson invented the particle collecter

Very well made video. Keep on the good work & looking forward for design analysis of other giant companies. BTW have already liked & subscribed.

Thanks!

Саша Телефон 3 ring

1:08 i see a mech leg on the right, very cool design

Nice

This was a great analysis. Thanks!

My man, you might be interested in what AvE says

👍

dude this breakdown is on point, well done

Great video, thanks for posting!

Thank You!!!