G-Force (ME120 Final)

HISTORY OF G-FORCE

Dyson spends 5 years making 5,127 prototypes of what was then called the Dual Cyclone TM vacuum cleaner

Dyson unveils the “final prototype”: The G-Force. Dyson’s design makes the cover of 1983 DESIGN Magazine

G-Force wins International Design Fair Prize in Japan and becomes status symbol in the country.

James Dyson, while working at Ballburrow, develops an industrial cyclone tower to filter air in his factory. Dyson decides to apply this technology to a vacuum cleaner, trying to improve upon the inefficient vacuum cleaners on the market.

Apex Ltd. licenses the G-Force and sells it for $2000 USD per unit in Japan

1986

1991

1979-83

1983

1978

UNIQUENESS

• Dyson design ethos: Design evolves from function, so it is essential to clearly show function of the machine.
• "If the product contains any new ideas then it is absolutely essential that the product be visually different" -James Dyson
• First vacuum to incorporate viewing window for inner mechanisms.
• Pink and purple colors emphasize innovative elements.

WHAT'S INSIDE?

• Cyclonic separation: Air and dust are sucked at high speed into a fast-spinning vortex. By centrifugal force, dust and debris move to the outside of the vessel. Dust and dirt particles fall into a collection bin, eliminating the need for a dustbag and filter.

• Dual cyclone vacuum technology: one cyclone to filter out dirt particles and another to filter out dust and minute particles. This was the first major breakthrough in vacuum technology since 1901.

DESIGN MOVEMENT

• Streamline Moderne (1930’s): A time of curving forms and long horizontal lines. The 1937 Electrolux Vacuum showcases this movement (top left).
• Minimalism (1967-1978): Products stripped down to most fundamental features. See Hoover Junior Deluxe, where the the vacuum is highlighted by the handle, encased dustbag, and power head (middle).
• Postmodern (1978-): Abandonment of conventional ideas and embracing experimentation. Combining texture, color, line, and material to challenge modern design. The G-Force fully embraces this with a prominent pink and purple color scheme, assymetry, transparent window, and breakthrough technology (bottom left).

RECEPTION

• The directors of the Ballbarrow discouraged Dyson from pursuing his vacuum passion. Their rationale was that if a superior vacuum was possible, major manufacturers would have invented it already.

• Hoover and Electrolux were major vacuum cleaner manufactures at the time. Other manufacturers included Bissell, Shark, Eureka, and Filter Queen. Hoover and Electrolux did not want to license the design as it would eliminate the bag replacement market, estimated at $500 million worldwide.

• Dyson finally found a Japanese manufacturer to license his product; the vacuum eventually becomes a status symbol in the country.

LEGACY

The G-Force ushered in new technology to a stagnant industry. G-Force provided the spark to one of the biggest brands in the world. G-Force ushered in a design ethos that will continue to reverberate generations.

Influence:

• In 1993, Dyson introduces the DC01, the next iteration of vacuum by Dyson. The DC01 became the best-selling cleaner in the United Kingdom within 2 years, and by 2001 it made up 47% of the upright vacuum cleaner market.

• Dyson now produces air purifiers, hand dryers, bladeless fans, heaters, hair dryers, lights, and electric car engines.

• Bagless, cyclonic vacuum cleaners are now produced by all major vacuum manufacturers.

Works Cited

Works Cited

• “About Dyson.” Dyson, www.dyson.my/community/about-dyson.aspx.
• Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. “Sir James Dyson.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 28 Apr. 2019, www.britannica.com/biography/James-Dyson.
• Bennett, Mark, director. THE FIRST DYSONS - CYCLON vs G-FORCE. YouTube, YouTube, 26 Oct. 2014, www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJu0lquOueA.
• Blitz, Matt. “This Sucks: The Messy History of the Vacuum Cleaner.” Popular Mechanics, 5 Nov. 2018, www.popularmechanics.com/technology/gadgets/a20973/history-of-the-vacuum-cleaner/.
• Dickson, Andrew. “How We Made the Dyson Vacuum Cleaner.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 24 May 2016, www.theguardian.com/culture/2016/may/24/interview-james-
• “Design Movements Timeline.” Stedmunds.org.uk, www.stedmunds.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Design-Movements-Timeline.pdf.
• “Dyson Story.” Bbccomdes.weebly.com, bbcdcomdes.weebly.com.
• Malone-Kircher, Madison. “James Dyson on the 5,126 Vacuums That Didn't Work and the One That Finally Did.” The Vindicated, 22 Nov. 2016, nymag.com/vindicated/2016/11/james-dyson-on-5-126-vacuums-that-didnt-work-and-1-that-did.html.
• Palmer, Daniel. “What Is Postmodernism?” The Conversation, 13 May 2019, theconversation.com/explainer-what-is-postmodernism-20791.
• Rosenberg, Rebecca. “Postmodern Design: What Is It and Why Is It Popular?” NewHomeSource, www.newhomesource.com/guide/articles/postmodern-design.
• Roy, Robin (2016). A Story of Innovation: The Cyclone Vacuum Cleaner Invented by James Dyson. Creative Academic Magazine, UK.
• Wikipedia contributors. "Streamline Moderne." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 21 May. 2019. Web. 3 Jun. 2019.
• Wikipedia contributors. "Vacuum cleaner." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 12 May. 2019. Web. 3 Jun. 2019.

Quotes/Video

Extras

To the right is a video about the G-Force and an interview with James Dyson. Down below, I interviewed a few individuals about their experiences with vacuums at the time when Dyson brand was just emerging.

Pia W.: “My first vacuum was a Hoover. It was an upright Hoover. It was a popular, low cost brand. It was heavy. It had the bag which was not really that good. Even though the dirt was supposed to be contained in the bag, the dirt always seemed to come out. I would have loved to get a Dyson.”

Anthony D.: “Dyson don’t have the filter like the bag does. I was pleased with Oreck because it’s lightweight and had the bag. But sometimes the bag is expensive.”