“Underpainted plastic” or "reverse painting" first caught my eye on the transistor radios I was collecting. Some of the plastics were so, well, luscious to look at--so candy-like--that I didn't quite know what I was seeing. My fellow collectors and I just called it "cool plastic." Like, "look at that cool plastic!" Looking closely I found that this plastic was painted on the underside. And not just that, it was "undercarved" too--I guess that's the right name for it--where the underside isn't flat but molded in a design, then painted--then when viewed from the front gives an interesting 3D play in light and shadow. As I learned more about the technique I found it had been in use in automobiles since the 1930s. Underpainting was seen in costume jewelry and on appliances. It was actually considered out-of-date by most serious designers in the late 1950s by the time these transistor radios were designed. The public seemed to love it, however, as dished up with more verve, primarily by Japanese radio makers. I love the translucent effect of underpainting and the depth of color. Like a candy apple car finish with like 500 coats of lacquer. But of course it wasn't just the technique that mattered, it was the designs it enhanced or inspired. At the time this product came out in 1998, all computers were either beige or black. I was surprised to see a modern company with the courage to use color, and most of all to use underpainting, a technique then out of style for decades. No one can say how much the underpainting on these products helped save Apple from the demise that seemed imminent at the time, but there is no doubt that their success generally owes much to their respect for art and design. Whereas art and design seem to be of only peripheral concern to most people, Apple has been well-served by respecting and appreciating these things. And so have I.
Reverse painting wasn't always done as tastefully as Apple did it. But I've never seen it used where it didn't improve the design it was used on. Most product design these days takes itself way too seriously. Who's to blame for this--the designers?--or is it the soulless corporations that employ them? I'm betting it's the latter. If and when designers are ever again allowed to make products that are fun, I hope we will see again a return of underpainting to brighten our world.
Crown TR-911 transistor radio
Vanguard TR-221
Emerson 555V "The All-American"
Chic (like Kowa KT-91)
Belvedere TR-223
Jupiter 6T-220
Toshiba 6TP-309
Zephyr ZR-930
Westinghouse refrigerator
Jupiter 6T-330 transistor radio
Sharp TR-232
Wealth W610
Hi-Delity 7TA-1X
Crown TR-555
Cover of "Great Little Radios From Crown" book by Eric Wrobbel
Apple original iMac
Apple iBook
Crosley Shelvador refrigerator nameplate
Harpers GK-501 tube radio
Silvertone Transistor name badge
Coldspot refrigerator nameplate
Ronson C.F.L. model electric shavers
Westinghouse refrigerator interior details
Detecto bathroom scale
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