Gary Hustwit’s Helvetica (2007) was the shit. A conventional documentary about the most conventional typeface ever, as told by some of the most unconventional people on the planet. His newest doc, Objectified (2009), is the same template, different subject, and about half as interesting as the last one. Most of that is the subject matter itself. While Helvetica had a concrete, compact focus, Objectified revolves around an idea. Or several ideas, rather. None of which are really nailed down. Shit, I still don’t know what this one’s really about after watching it all the way through once. Something about the ideas behind the design and manufacturing of mass-produced goods as told by a bunch of rambling engineers and designers who each have their own philosophy about the things they get paid to tell other people how to make. Some of the designers talk about needing to be more eco-friendly with their designs and a few non-designers like writer Rob Walker, representing the lone consumer voice, give some insightful commentary. Others go so far as to say designers should rule the world. A look into the design process of the goods we see everyday in the marketplace is worth seeing, considering how removed most of us are from the realm of production. I was most intrigued by the least eccentric person: the Apple guy, showing the raw materials and explaining the philosophy behind the Macbook Air design. Many of the designers featured here talk about how less is more, that the best “designed” products are the ones that give off the illusion that they were not designed at all. Objectified is crafted the same way, form following function, with no gimmickry and novelties. But it left me with the feeling that the design world is some far away planet full of people who think they’re doing the world a solid while their goods pile up in junkyards and factories. It gets touched upon here, but only in passing. Objectified might’ve been groundbreaking fifteen years ago, but in 2009 it feels soulless and empty. But well-designed.