89

connecting lines and colors exciting and allowed for countless configurations. The game was popular to progressive parents interested in educational play and became a bestseller in 1969 (Rawsthorn). The modularity of Connect was evidence of Garland’s resistance to consumerism. There was no single solution to the puzzle. It could not be solved. Consumers were therefore able to reengage the same product repeatedly, without needing to rush out and buy a new game once the old one was “finished.” Connect was popular and profitable, but Garland did not let consumer culture control its design. Other games designed by Garland for Galt Toys also evidence his commitment to modularity. Their packaging, which he also designed, further attests to his belief that design can be more than a mediator between a product and consumer. It can engage the consumer directly. Fizzog (Fig. 4) consisted of 24 half-faces that players were asked to match in terms of colors and mood. The concept is clear from the packaging by the cheeky smile on face in the center of the “O.” Another game, Octons (Fig. 5), contained a number of colored transparent octagons that could be connected with each other and built Fig 4. Fizzog, Galt Toys, 1970, Garland. Fig 5. Octons, Galt Toys, 1973, Garland. 89

90 Publizr Home


You need flash player to view this online publication