When I think of Kelly Dobson and Tobias Wong, humor (of course) comes to mind. Dobson’s and Wong’s recontextualized objets d’design have earned them reputations as witty producers that blur the lines between design, engineering, criticism, and art. I find their work fascinating.

Tobias Wong’s Silver Pills, filled with real silver

It’s surprising, though it shouldn’t be, to see them sharing a line-up with Steven Heller (no stranger to humor or wit) and Kid Robot founder Paul Budnitz. Add to the mix Ze Frank as moderator, and you’ve got yourself quite an entertaining conversation about design. That’s exactly what Core77’s upcoming offsite event looks to be. Curious about all this funny business, I asked Core77 partner Allan Chochinov about his intentions and hopes for Design, Wit, and The Creative Act.

You’ve put together quite a witty bunch for this conference. How did you come to build a design event around the theme of humor?

One of our points of departure was our desire to create a half day conference that was going to be really happy. A lot of design conferences are so sobering. There are so many big problems going on right now, and it can be really daunting. So very intentionally, we wanted to provide a day that would be life-affirming. That led us to this notion of wit and humor. Combing those with design, there’s actually a lot to learn from thinkers, writers, and practitioners.

Kelly Dobson’s blendie, in which the object coerces the user into speaking in the object’s language, is a great example. You growl at the blender and it will respond to the ferocity of your growls. I think this is such an amazing twist on interface design. It’s really a sweet spot of where design and culture collide, which is how we want to frame a lot of what we do.

A conversation with a blender! Are humorous designs like this limited to experiments and provocations, or do you see them entering the commercial realm?

That’s what we hope to address at the event. We ask in our pitch for the afternoon, “are there limits to commercializing this kind of design or are we seeing new opportunities for the provocateur in an ever commoditized world?” We don’t mean to sound crass. We don’t feel there’s a mandate to commercialize all design. I think the basic promise of the day is to discuss the ways to speak to people along an emotional spectrum without trying to sell them something new or novel…to speak to a place in their hearts. I think Kelly’s piece is an example of changing the terms, the language, and ultimately that discourse.

Then Ze Frank seems to be the perfect choice for moderating this conversation.

I think Ze Frank and his work change the terms all the time, as any humorist or comedian does. Both in terms of putting unlike elements together in a surprising way, but also really toying with language and the interpretation of language. I think the languages of design (products, graphic, branding, communication, architecture…all of them) are about trying to find a space in the language to talk to people. I’m hoping this day is going to talk about all the different ways creators and audiences can talk to each other.

You talk about the challenge of designing across culture and the lack of shared experiences. Is it your proposal that humor is one of those things that can bridge that gap.

This came up in working with Ze to frame what the day would be. He said one of the challenges of humor is that a lot of it depends on a shared cultural experience. I’ve long heard that the final step in learning a language is humor.

So it my not necessarily be an answer, but it’s something to consider as a strategy.

One of the hottest issues in design and branding is how to take products, services, customer experiences and translate them across cultures in this global marketplace. Everybody’s looking for repeatable strategies that they can count on. It involves a lot of ethnography, but also perhaps, a light touch and some empathy. Quite a healthy does of empathy actually. This is something that larger corporations are struggling with all of the time. I think this afternoon can help move that dialogue a little bit.

What does the format of the event bring to the table?

It’s a half-day event, with presentations, then a moderated panel and Q & A, followed by a cocktail party. This time, we’re holding the event on Friday, so everyone can enjoy the cocktail party. We want to encourage the networking and socializing elements, which are very often some of the great things that happens at these events. We want to end that day on a very high night note after what’s going to be a very inspiring and design-affirming afternoon.

Core77 presents

Design, Wit, and the Creative Act:

Leveraging the power of humor towards great customer experiences

Friday 9 November 2007

2:00PM-6:00PM

Art Directors Club, 1106 W 29th St.

More Info: www.core77.com/offsite