This section is still under construction. It will be updated very soon.
Basic Anatomy of a Teapot
On beginning to think about the design of my perfect tea pot, I had to answer the question first, what a tea pot is. What is it that makes us recognise an object as a teapot and not mistake it for an object with similar properties, such as a vase, a flower pot or a mug?
The picture below shows the basic anatomy of a teapot.
The picture below shows the basic anatomy of a teapot.
I discovered that there are essentially five properties that an object must have in order to count as a teapot.
- A hollow body to hold the water and tea to brew the tea
- A spout to pour the tea into a drinking vessel
- A handle for easier operating of the tea pot
- A lid to decrease cooling down of tea
- A hole in said lid to avoid that the tea sloshes and drips when pouring
Essentials of a Tea Pot
The above poster, entitled “The Essentials of a Teapot: Which Do You Like?”, from 1946 was part of a series called Design in Everyday Things – a former education programme of the British army.
It shows five cartoon characters examining the properties of a teapot. They each pose a question about the teapot's design:
I found that throughout the whole time, I always came back to consulting these questions. The properties I outlined
On the right side of the poster, smaller images show various examples of different teapots. The description reads:
"Teapots shape and design reflect the spirit of the age. Pictorial decorations like this depend on the skill of the individual craftsmen. Why do we see so few of them nowadays? How do you like this Victorian teapot with its intricate ornament? Do you think it is practical? Is it good to look at? What had the designers in mind when they gave this teapot the square shape? What about cleaning, and pouring and burning your fingers? In the other, the lid of the teapot and the top of the spout are all one, and the lid is held in position by a lip fitting under the inside rim. Why this? Do the advantages balance the disadvantages? Fancy teapots have been in extensive use since the eighteenth century. Should a teapot look like a teapot – or like something else? These teapots are based on traditional design. Many thousands have been made in similar shapes during the past two hundred years. Why are they so popular? Is shape enough by itself, and if it is really good does it compensate for any lack of decoration or novelty?"
I really liked this approach of deconstructing a teapot by asking questions. With this in my mind, I took a look at tea pot designs out there.
It shows five cartoon characters examining the properties of a teapot. They each pose a question about the teapot's design:
- THE TEAPOT DOES IT POUR WITHOUT DRIPPING?
- DOES THE LID FALL OFF WHEN POURING?
- IS IT EASY TO CLEAN OUT?
- IS IT EASY TO HOLD?
- IS IT EASY ON THE EYE?
I found that throughout the whole time, I always came back to consulting these questions. The properties I outlined
On the right side of the poster, smaller images show various examples of different teapots. The description reads:
"Teapots shape and design reflect the spirit of the age. Pictorial decorations like this depend on the skill of the individual craftsmen. Why do we see so few of them nowadays? How do you like this Victorian teapot with its intricate ornament? Do you think it is practical? Is it good to look at? What had the designers in mind when they gave this teapot the square shape? What about cleaning, and pouring and burning your fingers? In the other, the lid of the teapot and the top of the spout are all one, and the lid is held in position by a lip fitting under the inside rim. Why this? Do the advantages balance the disadvantages? Fancy teapots have been in extensive use since the eighteenth century. Should a teapot look like a teapot – or like something else? These teapots are based on traditional design. Many thousands have been made in similar shapes during the past two hundred years. Why are they so popular? Is shape enough by itself, and if it is really good does it compensate for any lack of decoration or novelty?"
I really liked this approach of deconstructing a teapot by asking questions. With this in my mind, I took a look at tea pot designs out there.
Looking at what's out there
Sidenote: Hello World!
The Utah Teapot, the design equivalent to the “Hello World” code in the realm of computer sciences. Created as a mathematical model in 1975 by computer graphics pioneer Martin Newell at the University of Utah, the Utah Teapot has a history of serving as an inside joke and reference point for design newbies all over the world. The question remains whether Newell knew of Rams’ ten commandments or unknowingly complied with them…