JKR

There was a great piece by Stephen Bayley in The Telegraph a couple of days ago about the 50th anniversary of The Morris Minor – Read it here. The observation that struck me was this: “Has any other English machine ever been treated to such respectful affection as the Minor? This soft-looking car makes even hard men wistful. Here is that unusual thing which, for reasons neuro-aestheticians must one day research, inspires universal delight. Is it the shape itself that affects the emotions or the dense cloud of associations swirling around it? Probably a bit of each.”

It is a truly ‘happy’ design, which has inspired huge devotion long after production ceased. What can we learn by studying its lines? I think it shows that modesty can be an engaging alternative to design which aims to be more aggressive, or ‘high-end’. The Minor is cute, chubby, and knows its place. Even the engine sound chugs along like a babbling brook. This design spirit seems quintessentially English – a gentleness and simplicity that has something of church bells, pipe smoking and John Betjeman poems within it. The form has been likened to a jelly mold, and while this might not be quite fair, it does suggest a design that is content to be homely.

Every new brief these days seems to seek to place whatever the particular brand is at the head of its category – more premium, more aspirational, more contemporary and ‘leading’ in its aesthetics. The Minor suggests an alternative that is humble but cheerful – that aims lower, but doesn’t forget to design joy into the form. In our recession stressed times, perhaps more briefs need to connect with a spirit less focussed on projecting thrusting aspiration, and more engaged with delivering a drop of charm?