The Juicy Salif (lemon squeezer) was a classic of postmodern iconic design from1990s by French designer Philippe Starck for Alessi, the Italian housewares and kitchen utensil company. Which later become Alessi’s best selling products and company culture icon until today.
Form
It’s made of aluminium (made of gold-plated on 10th-anniversary limited edition, and bronze on 25th anniversary). It has a unique shape that hasn’t been seen before and did not follow the “form follows function“ principle — on purpose. Perhaps one might say that this is iconic design is the principle of “form follows emotion.”
Function
By usability research, it barely functions as a lemon squeezer, people complained that it’s not comfortable or even it doesn’t feel safe. However, Starck’s said, “My juicer is not meant to squeeze lemons; it is meant to start conversations.” It was deliberately designed to be recognised as an iconic design.
Bonus: Philippe Starck sketched his essentials on a pizzeria napkin during his holiday and he sent the sketch to Alberto Alessi.
