|
From “artisanal” and “timeless” to, erm, “iconic”, these words are the most slippery and overused in the design industry. Of course, we haven’t used any of them in our latest issue …
Artisanal
Adjective. Made in a traditional or non-mechanised way. Can apply to lattes.
Aspirational
Adjective. Euphemism for extremely and unnecessarily expensive.
Bespoke
Adjective. Devised especially for something or someone. Can apply to cocktails.
Biennial
Noun. Required event to achieve status of International Capital of Something.
Cosy
Adjective. Snug, too small for comfort. Or: woollen, dim, Scandinavian.
Craft
Adjective. With an air of authenticity, i.e., “Modern Luxury”.
Curated
Adjective. Applied when a choice has been made, e.g. of the items in a refrigerator.
Eco
Prefix. Objects made outside China after 2010 using any material whatsoever.
Edgy
Adjective. Avant-garde; experimental; generally unintelligible.
Experiential
Adjective. Involving or based on experience, including the mundane.
Human
Prefix. A qualifier to suggest that an object or place wasn’t designed for E.T.
Iconic
Adjective. An endorsement to be liberally applied to the work of famous people.
Innovative
Adjective. Work that does something relatively new (which is often).
Intuitive
Adjective. Usable by humans aged more than 18 months.
Long-awaited
Adjective. Delayed; “Finally!”; “We have known about this for a while”.
Luxury
Noun. Objects or real estate aimed at any consumer above the poverty line.
Redefine
Verb. To repeat without necessarily wanting to be perceived as doing so.
Scandinavian
Adjective. Originating in Scandinavia. Mid-century but different, but often not.
Sustainable
Adjective. Produced using either current or traditional methods, not in between.
Timeless
Adjective. Designed to last but destined to be replaced next year.
The banned words are numbers 106 to 125 of the 150 Things Worth Knowing – the 16-page bonus supplement contained in our 150th issue. See the online flipbook for extracts from the magazine – including more Things Worth Knowing – and request a free copy of the issue here
Agree or disagree with the list above? Which words would you add or exclude? Tell @iconeye on Twitter or using the box below
|
