60 Technology: Engineering Our World Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. What other types of poorly designed products can you think of? What products frustrate you? Who might be discouraged by the childproof caps used on prescription drugs? The controls on any type of device must be unambiguous. One way to do this is to make each control look or feel different. Remote controls for televisions are often diffi cult to decipher. How would you redesign a remote control to correct poor design? Iconic Design An icon is something that is immediately recognized and represents an idea. The Statue of Liberty is iconic around the world as a symbol of freedom because it welcomed immigrants sailing to the United States. Some architecture becomes iconic because it is associated with a particular place (Figure 3-30). Iconic designs have a number of characteristics, including that they: • Are immediately recognized by consumers. • Inspire and are copied by other designers. • Remain popular for a long time. • Are aesthetically pleasing. • May introduce a new technology that becomes widely adopted. • Employ a new manufacturing technique. • Become an important part of design history. Pause for Thought Identify three products that are poorly designed. Explain your choice. How would you change the design to improve it? Spotmatik Ltd/Shutterstock.com Figure 3-30. Iconic monuments. A—Statue of Liberty. B—Eiffel Tower. C—Big Ben. D—The Space Needle. What other public monuments have become iconic? A B C D Christian Mueller/Shutterstock.com Giancarlo Liguori/Shutterstock.com IR Stone/Shutterstock.com