Industrial DesignEngineering
Product Design
Is good design important to your bottom line? Can it really increase sales and profitability or is just a luxury that is limited to large corporations? All of you already know the answers to these questions. You are living testaments to the simple truth that good design is inseparable with growth, sales and profitability. Every time any of us shops, we make decisions based on our individual perceptions of quality, aesthetics, function and value. A product’s design can be thought of as a symbol for a company and its values. In today’s impersonal internet based economy where billions of dollars are exchanged each day based on images and descriptions, perception is everything. There is no salesman to pitch a product. The product must speak to the buyer through its appearance by stimulating an emotional desire to be purchased. This magical connection can only be achieved with good design and marketing. There are countless products and companies who manufacture them, which have seamlessly integrated highly sophisticated marketing programs with design to maximize sales. Most of these companies have become household names as a result of their efforts. We know them as General Motors, Nabisco, Coca Cola, Shell, Rolex, Tiffany and Apple Computer. They have all benefited from industrial designers who understand the market and how the product should be designed for the targeted customer.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. We’ve all heard this age old adage from our earliest childhood memories. Beauty and taste govern most of our personal daily decisions in everything from choice of foods to selection of clothes, cars and furniture. Yet most of us never think of how these things were created, they were all designed! Imagine, every manmade item has been designed by someone. Each product has undergone a series of developmental iterations before finally reaching the marketplace. The final product represents someone’s idea of what is best for their customer. A few products become a major success while hundreds of others disappear shortly after they are introduced. Although purchasing decisions are made based on a number of factors, appearance influences one’s choice in virtually every situation.
If a survey were conducted amongst engineers and rotational molders requesting them to list the most important qualifications for a good designer, most would limit the list to technical knowledge. Few would include artistic skills, graphics, styling and marketing knowledge. Yet, when we become consumers looking for a TV, car, piece of furniture or any other personal item, how do we make our selection if price and performance are comparable? That’s right, by how the product looks! We look for a product that reflects our personal tastes and represents who we are. Products are designed with character, whether it is intentional or not. If a product looks cheap, it probably is. If a product is expensive, it is usually expensive for a reason.
Industrial Design