POINTLESS DESIGN

“Increasingly, many of us (especially the young) have come to reject the mere accumulation of material possessions. That this emotion is engendered largely by the fact that we live in a post-industrial society bursting with gadgets, knickknacks and manufactured trivia is abundantly clear.” Victor Papanek
When I think of pointless designs the first that springs to mind is the souvenir. There are many stores and stalls around central London selling various objects to remind travellers of their visit to England. The flaw is that most if not all of what is on offer is pure tack. All of which is probably mass produced in China. My opinion has always been that souvenirs are pointless designs and I have never bought anything from a souvenir store when travelling. I generally only buy postcards to send home and take photographs to record places I have travelled and to use as my memorabilia or souvenir. After research I have discovered that some people buy souvenirs because they are tacky and do buy them with the intention of keeping them as memorabilia for themselves. Another point to this discussion is that they will buy souvenirs to bring back to their family and friends but not in the form of ornaments or teddy bears or t-shirts, but they will bring back confectionary and biscuits. Although on most occasions the sweets available in souvenir stores are universal or produced outside the given country. So really what is the point of souvenirs because while they may come in the form of a famous landmark they are generally produced outside the country they are sold.