“The details are not the details. They make the design.”
- Charles Eames

There was something about the tail light of the Mini Cooper S in front of me that caught my eye. It took a moment, but as soon as the driver tapped the brakes again I saw it: the illuminated brake light did not fit inside its housing. I thought: that must be intentional. There is no obvious reason why the ring of of the light could not be made smaller or of a different shape, so why design the rear light in this way? I glanced around the rest of the car looking for clues (while paying close attention to the road, um, for the most part).

As I’d suspected, the evidence was there. Scanning the exterior details, particularly the curves of the side panels and the subtle tuck of various seams, it all made sense. The entire skin of the Mini appeared ready to burst from within, as if the envelope of the car were being distorted by the power of the machine underneath. That impression was being reinforced by the design gesture of the tail light: the housing appears to be too small to enclose the lamp.

None of these interpretations is true: the housing could be designed to contain the brake light easily and the panels are shaped on the assembly line, not by some barely contained force of the underlying machine. These construction details are designed to create the illusion that the Mini is brawnier than its size would imply. Whether the performance of the car lives up to the aesthetic is not relevant, I’ve already made this association. (more…)