Is there something like masculine / feminine design ?

 ..or for that matter any need of categorizing design in those terms?

In a marketing perspective I believe it can be interesting with the consumer of a design product in mind. To the left you see a photo of the new “Mystic” bottle from Coca-Cola, created by the French designer Jerome Olivet. The designer expressed that the design reflects his lifelong appreciation for the soft drink. With some imagination the design gives associations to race car designs, liquefied computer game interfaces  and futuristic space science. I guess I won’t be arrested saying that some of these keywords have more male than female fans.

As a contrast I found the new design for Evian, created by the Japanese designer Issey Miayke which has a more feminine and earthy approach to the design. In this context it  is important to distinguish  and understand that masculine / feminine design is not determined by the gender of the designer, either not meant as a conservative, racist or old fashion classification of male / female preferences. What I simply have in mind is that this should be one of many other considerations when creating designs for a gender dominated consumer group/segment.

I am sure you will agree that sometimes the different preferences are obvious. When I ask my husband , friends or others just to test the look of a design or art piece it appears clearly that  sometimes the likes and dislikes are divided into male and female groups. If this is related to sociology or physics is difficult to say and most likely it's a good blend. But you will be stunned about what science can tell you and  lately I've learned that there can be more to the difference in design preference than first thought: Did you know that there is  physical factors that makes men and women perceive colors differently ?If so, this is of course something that has impact on how we perceive our surroundings, artwork and objects.

Luckily there's the bliss of moments knowing we appreciate the same, and I believe there is unisex "design codes" that breaks down the perception barriers between  men and women. My husband likes Philip Starck, and with my one foot into the likings of minimalistic architectural design we agree that he has made some really great stuff. Just as my husband can enjoy some of the works of my favorite artist; Matisse or colorful furniture and textiles from IKEA (when I browse their catalog in the mood for remodeling). And let that be said: SeeBe enjoys a Coca-Cola and pure drinking water too, and will probably pick up both of them if the bottles reaches my local Publix!