‘Never sacrifice performance for aesthetics,’ says Sir James Dyson

The aesthetics of engineering

Dyson has always championed engineering— not as an abstract concept but as a provider of real-world solutions. In previous interviews, he has emphasized the value of hands-on experience and learning by doing, often reiterating that many educational systems stifle creativity by focusing too much on theoretical knowledge and not enough on practical application. But beyond the practicalities of engineering, what role do aesthetics play in Dyson (the company’s) design philosophy, with its focus on functionality, practicality, and minimalism?

On the table in front of us, Sir James has a bunch of components, contraptions, and motors, which he picks up often to make his points. “Technology must define a product’s shape, but the beauty of its design lies in its simplicity and natural feel," he says, describing his ideal product as one that “feels like a fruit"—organic yet precise, pleasant to hold while delivering on its function efficiently.

According to Don Norman, the cognitive scientist and usability engineer who coined the term ‘user experience’, “The hardest part of design... is keeping features out." Dyson’s minimalist approach to product design, such as his bladeless fans and bagless vacuum cleaners, reflects this principle. For Dyson—both the individual and the company—design is not merely the visual veneer but a fundamental part of the technology itself.

“The engineering drives the shape," he explains, picking up the cleaner head of a vacuum to demonstrate the principle. The visual appeal of a well-designed product is not a superficial layer added post-engineering, but an honest, outward expression of the technology within. However, he concedes that the dynamic can be reversed for some products, like the PencilVac, the world’s slimmest vacuum cleaner birthed by the need for effortless manoeuvrability. This willingness to let a desired form—driven by the intended user experience—dictate the internal engineering challenges the conventional “form follows function" mantra.

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Despite this interplay, Dyson is unequivocal about priorities: “Performance is number one. We never sacrifice performance for aesthetics," he says, an edict that has influenced contemporary product design across the world. “Every product is designed with a goal in mind. Dyson literally removed unnecessary parts and innovated on what’s key to the goal of the product. It’s very clear that performance or the ‘engine’ is at the heart. You focus on one thing, all the other components around it help deliver that core promise – that’s what we’re trying to do as well," says Sudeep Sahu, Head of Product at Lumio, a new smart TV brand from India.

No such thing as fail-safe

The legend of Sir James Dyson is inextricably linked to the 5,127 prototypes he famously built over five years before perfecting his first cyclonic, bagless vacuum cleaner, in the late 1970s. The iconic product was born from frustration with his vacuum cleaner losing suction due to a clogged bag, and has become a cornerstone of the Dyson narrative. He recalls the experience almost wryly—not as a tale of hardship, but as an illustration of the inventive process. “Most of what you do is failure," he notes, emphasizing that every misstep is a clue that nudges you closer to a breakthrough. “Every engineer, anyone who develops technology, knows that you have a lot of failures. It’s an iterative process where you make one change at a time…Eventually, you make it work, but along the road, a lot of failures".

His motivation for discussing these struggles is clear: “I really want to encourage people to be engineers...if you’re an engineer, you have to [accept failure]. Talking about failures makes engineering more accessible to people. Because it’s quite a simple process...You don’t have to be a genius to do it".

This philosophy extends to his views on education. “I have this theory that we should mark children by how many mistakes they’ve made, not whether they get the answer right or not," he says, advocating for a system that rewards experimentation and the learning that comes from it.

Even anger, he says, grinning, can be a potent fuel for innovation: “You get angry about how something doesn’t work very well. Anger and frustration can be good motivators," he says.

The embrace of failure is not merely a personal anecdote for Dyson, it is an operational principle that has shaped his company culture—"run by engineers" who inherently understand this iterative, often frustrating, but ultimately rewarding journey—and his significant investment in engineering education.

In 2017, Sir James founded the Dyson Institute of Engineering and Technology introducing a unique pedagogical approach—students work in a position in Dyson for three days a week and receive a salary as well. This gives them relevant experience of working on real-world engineering projects along with academic rigour.

Built-in sustainability

Sustainability has often underpinned Dyson’s work—perhaps even before it became a corporate imperative. But for him, the focus was never on branding it as an environmental initiative. It was, as he puts it, simply about good engineering. “Our first vacuum cleaner got rid of the bag. And bags, by the way, are not paper, they’re plastic. They’re woven polypropylene... a nasty plastic," he says. “So we got rid of non-biodegradable consumables and the waste of electricity that occurs when the bag fills up and the airflow is blocked. So, we have constant efficiency, not a diminishing efficiency".

The move might not have been framed as an environmental initiative at the time, but as a better engineering solution that inherently reduced waste and improved energy efficiency. “It’s just an innate thing that an engineer has to use fewer materials to be more efficient and not to waste energy or materials. So that’s what we do. It’s just built into us," he says. Dyson’s philosophy suggests that by designing for durability and efficiency from the outset, sustainability becomes an outcome of excellent engineering—a fundamental tenet rather than a reactive policy.

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Imitation is not flattery

A fierce advocate of originality, Dyson minces no words about his disdain for imitation. It is no secret that Dyson products spawn cheaper imitations that become popular alternatives in the market. In the past, the company has accused Chinese authorities of turning a blind eye to brands that violate intellectual property rights by imitating successful designs. Apart from the loss of market share and sales due to cheap replicas, the company has also spent millions of pounds pursuing often futile legal cases. Apart from cheap knockoffs, several popular brands like Dreame and Dibea too have put out affordable products “inspired" by Dyson vacuum cleaners and hair stylers. “I think it’s a pity that people copy products... I think it’s morally wrong," he asserts, arguing that copying ultimately “gives less choice to the consumer" because it leads to “a lot of lookalike products."

Looking ahead, Dyson holds a surprisingly sanguine view on AI. “We’ve got to be more creative because artificial intelligence is not really creative," he opined. “It’s rather nice in a way because it puts pressure on us being creative and being different... I think that there’s great opportunity for people to be original, to be different and to think differently". He views AI not as a replacement for human ingenuity, but as a catalyst.

The writer was invited to attend the launch of Dyson PencilVac in Tokyo by Dyson India.