Future of Galaxy design: Samsung brass gather for ‘Design 3.0’

The higher-ups of Samsung have come together in Seoul to discuss potential new directions for device design. The ideas are those to be implemented next year in 2014. The meeting has been labelled ‘Design 3.0’, marking it as an important moment in Samsung’s recent design history.

The emperor needs a new cloak

Every generation, no matter how wildly popular a device is, Samsung is criticized for being ‘plastic-y’. A reputation for wrapping quality devices in cheap materials is not necessarily something Samsung wants to cultivate. This year it was especially obvious when the GS4 made its debut next to the HTC One. The One, with its elegant unibody full-aluminum design, brought something not only beautiful and made of quality materials to the market, but also something new. Samsung’s response? A handset that looks almost identical to last year’s offering. The GS4 may be a great phone, but from a distance it can be hard to tell apart from its predecessor. A company as iconic as Samsung should be able to provide devices that are immediately recognisable in a way that doesn’t only identify the brand, but the specific product.

A short history of Samsung droids

Design 1.0 guided every device from its entry in to the smartphone market until just before last year’s Galaxy S III. Design 2.0 guided the move from the S3 to the S4 and upcoming Note III. The theme change between Design 1.0 and 2.0 was a huge and badly-needed one. Pre-GS3 Samsung handsets tended to range from iPhone clones to, at best, bland monotone devices with that aforementioned ‘plastic-y’ feel. Design 2.0 saw Samsung finally carve out a ‘look’ that was very much its own. The rounded edges and gentle colour schemes that were reportedly inspired by nature were a real hit with customers. Samsung had finally started focusing on aesthetics, rather than purely on hardware and functionality. 2.0 recently ran in to problems with the Galaxy S4, which was criticized for looking very similar to its GS3 predecessor. We’ve no idea what’s coming next, nor could we presume to guess. What we can do is look at a lot of the recent design changes that other manufacturers have taken and make a few suggestions in the hopes that someone will hear us.

The Windows Phone colour revolution

When Windows Phone 7 debuted a few years back its devices were pretty bland. There were a few interesting designs like the HTC Mozart and HTC Surround but for the most part it was a world of uniform, black plastic handsets. Once Windows Phone 8 rocked around Nokia had different ideas. The Nokia Lumia line burst on to the scene with vibrant colours, becoming an immediate hit in the WP marketplace. So much so that within one generation of devices HTC, already renowned for its own handset designs, unashamedly followed suit. This colourful approach may not work with Android devices. Android doesn’t boast the bold colouring of the WP8 design and may not suit a vibrant. Still, Nokia proved that there is a consumer desire that goes beyond black, white, grey and silver handsets.