well, first, I really like this post and while controversial I appreciate how strong are necere's feelings about design. I can fell you passion for this topic and I share it. I can say you reminds me of some of my teachers.
I'm not sure I can add much to the discussion but one of the basis of design is psychology, and while we can agree or disagree on a personal level there's quite a lot of studies that show that we as human beings are driven by some primal feelings when we observe form.
That is the bases of Gestalt. some will say that its 7 laws but its more of a guide.
On the topic of cars, in japan they usually prefer "smiling cars" over cars with the angry face. that is a cultural phenomenon that is prevalent in there or at least used to be. So I think it IS a topic of greater importance when making new products;
and while my way of thinking if heavily influenced by bauhaus and philosophy I have a brackground in art as well. and in art meaning is more subtle; some places call design 'applied arts' and I dont disagree.
Guille, I dont think what you said contradicts what necere's said.
while I'm a very visual person myself (I am a visual artist), I also share you foundness for texture and sound. designing for the experience is also a way of designing.
things used to be design differently in the past. usually more thought were put into everything because there was no shortcut. of course there was some products that was heavily skewed in a certain direction, like the US styling era or the form over function era that came before. BUT things were designed with something in mind.
I'm 25. I've also have wear pocket watch and tophat in my teens. I love old audio equipment and deeply enjoy how machinery used to be made. its not because they aren't current fashion that they lose meaning and value and I dont read neceres point that way. these things had a lot of thinking put into it. maybe not by a single person. some took generations to get to their final forms. but they were made by humans, and we as humans look out for meaning, even if we don't consciously know that.
