Another Steve Jobs quote about design, detail, and quality

"When you’re a carpenter making a beautiful chest of drawers, you’re not going to use a piece of plywood on the back, even though it faces the wall and nobody will ever see it. You’ll know it’s there, so you’re going to use a beautiful piece of wood on the back. For you to sleep well at night, the aesthetic, the quality, has to be carried all the way through."

-Steve Jobs

But the reality is with a wooden set of drawers ...

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4480918

You'll use the plywood because it's stronger and because it's not seen. You get both the cost savings and increased structural stability, which will get you more customers.

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Craftsmen absolutely think about what's stronger and more durable, not just what's nicest looking (especially for non-visible parts!). I've got a few pieces of pretty decent antique furniture that's made its way down to me in my family (stuff made by craftsmen, not by mass production), and the hidden pieces aren't finished or styled to the same degree as the front ones. The purpose of the back and other non-visible parts is to hold stuff together, not to look nice.

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We have some amazing antique Persian and Korean chests in the house. Hand carved and split grain matched fronts and maybe sides, but the backs are plain and/or rough hewn. These pre-date plywood, but the same goes - don't waste effort on parts that will never be seen, just build them to do their job.

#design