« Remembering Paul Tilley | Main
March 26, 2008
Find the Obvious
I love this quote from Arthur Koestler, "The more original a discovery, the more obvious it seems afterwards".
For some reason perhaps because I travel so often, when I think of this quote I conjure the image of luggage on wheels. Robert Plath is credited with this innovation. Remember the days of lifting our luggage? I still have marks on my shoulders from garment bags. And let's face it, early portable computers were hardly "portable".
Plath was in great position to introduce this 'eureka' product as he was a pilot. So he shrank the boxy suitcase, put an extended handle on it and added wheels. He started with 100 bags which he sold to fellow pilots starting in 1989. By the mid 1990s, Plath's Travelpro was a $50 million business. This now obvious innovation has changed the way people travel. We now take more than we need because we are not hefting it.
Too often in creativity and innovation we seek something completely fresh and entirely groundbreaking. Plath did not invent luggage or travel, he disarmingly and cleverly enhanced both. As creatives, we are all on a quest for the new and the bold. But we should not lose sight of obvious, easily introduced solutions that are original discoveries in their own right.
Search this Blog
About
This page contains a single entry from the blog posted on March 26, 2008 5:30 PM.
The previous post in this blog was Remembering Paul Tilley.
Many more can be found on the main index page or by looking through the archives.
RSS Feed
Comments (4)
Rachel
I think sometimes, a creative and innovative idea will often come from looking at "obvious" attributes of an object/ situation/ problem in a different/ fresh angle and through this process you gain "original discoveries."
Posted by Rachel | March 28, 2008 11:58 PM
Karl Hannon
Trying too hard to find something is not a good thing. It is by taking a step back that we find the "new". Relevance, perspective and context are three bits of the puzzle needed to be creative and innovative.
Posted by Karl Hannon | March 30, 2008 9:34 PM
Joseph Steel
If there really is nothing new under the sun, then innovation must come from taking elements of what already exists and utilizing them in a way that hasn't been done before.
Guitar, electricity. The electric guitar. Oil drum, metal hammer, tuning fork, sticks with bits of rubber wrapped around one end, lots of rum, an island carnival atmosphere. The steel pan.
Yes, some things require the envelop be pushed a little more.
Posted by Joseph Steel | April 1, 2008 6:48 AM
Asha Phillips
The simplest ideas prove to be the most astounding. Often times they're so obvious you say, "why didn't I think of that?" Innovation comes from problem solving and innovators know how to identify problem situations.
Posted by Asha Phillips | April 11, 2008 10:49 PM