It’s fairly universal: You think and therefore you can design. And, believe it or not, everyone has designed something in his or her life. Beginning at an early age…when you created your first crayon drawing or clay blob. But, designing products is far more complicated and challenging than creating clay blobs as a child. The millions of products on the market are the result of designers, who specialize in specific disciplines, effectively performing their jobs. The two major disciplines within the product design profession are industrial designers and design engineers. Each specialist makes an invaluable contribution to the successful design
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Archives for Industrial Design
Characteristics of Product Design
Exactly what does product design or industrial design have to do with these human characteristics? My answer is EVERYTHING. The design process requires you to think, analyze, assess options and make decisions based on your values. It doesn’t matter if you are designing a logo, a chair, a building or a rotationally-molded tank, the final design solution will depend upon your character, integrity and morals. How are these human traits related to design? Here are my thoughts. Let’s start with honesty. I’m sure many of you have heard someone use the term “honest design.” But what is honest design? It’s
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Concept Refinement and the Road to Design Perfection
Previously, I’ve written about the importance of developing many concepts before settling on a final product design direction. Developing a concept is a critical step in product design that defines the premise for all subsequent decisions throughout the development process. Design concepts loosely define the project direction. The specificity of a concept may range from something as vague as a scribbled sketch or cardboard model to a photorealistic industrial design rendering. In any case, concepts always require further, detailed development. Concept refinement can take any number of paths depending on the project and the designer. Here are some design concept
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Is the Industrial Designer’s Job Ever Finished?
That’s a tough question…and it’s one that has troubled nearly everyone who has developed and manufactured a product. Just when does the industrial designer’s job end? For most of us, the answer isn’t a sharp line. It’s somewhere in a wide gray zone. It all depends on the individuals involved, the product, staff, resources, expectations, commitments, knowledge and skills. Large corporations with virtually endless resources of manpower, money and equipment can restrict specific responsibilities within very well defined boundaries. In some instances, industrial designers will be limited to overall styling, product branding, aesthetics, concept development and human factor design considerations.
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Answering Classic Design Challenges in the New Stand Up MRI Product
Medical products have always presented design challenges because of their complexity, functional specifications, cost constraints, aesthetic requirements and size. These issues forced designers to constantly search for cost-effective and commercially proven manufacturing methods and materials to transform their ideas into marketable products. A few years ago our design firm was awarded a project that represented a classic case study involving these challenges. Integrated Design Systems, Inc. was chosen by Fonar Corporation to develop a set of covers for their new Stand Up MRI system. This project was a unique and exciting opportunity for many reasons. First, we had an opportunity
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Essential Concept Development Elements in Product Development & Design
Welcome to the second in a continuing series of articles about successful product development & design for designers, inventors and plastics experts. The previous article focused on defining product specifications, the process to create a baseline and objectives defining the product. YOU CAN READ IT HERE Without a well-defined set of specifications, it is virtually impossible to design any product. And after the product has been accurately described, creative thinking must be harnessed to begin the design process with refined concept development. The transition from research, information gathering, analysis and organization to creative thinking is not easy. Some people are
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Define the Specifications: The Critical First Step in Any Product Design Project
Before anything else, every design project or product must comply with a set of functional requirements. It is a defined plan. Otherwise, it isn’t a product at all. Perhaps it’s simply a useless object or trash. Or maybe it is artwork. The first, and most critical step, in any product design project is to define the specifications in detail. This establishes the common foundation upon which all subsequent decisions will be made as the project evolves. A well-written set of product specifications not only outlines the definition of the product but also provide a framework for setting priorities and performance
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Mastering Communications: The Key to Successful Product Design and Development
The difficulties in exchanging ideas during the product development and design process are often complicated by limitations in language, ego, perception, personalities and a basic understanding of the other person’s intentions. Mastering communications is a vital tool for successful creative work. It took a while for me to appreciate this. When I first began my career as an industrial designer, I thought that the most important skills for a designer to possess were aesthetic, technical and 3D skills. As my career developed, and my experience in these and other areas grew, I began to realize there was another skill that
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How to Optimize Design Collaboration for Success
Design is an activity unique to the human species. It’s a creative process requiring a combination of skills exclusive to the domain of humans. These skills are based on our ability to react to our environment with the creation of a tool, device or mechanism. And that enables us to change our lives and environment to better suit our needs. Historically, individuals have developed significant inventions and designs. Today, however, most products are comprised of complex subsystems requiring specialized skills that can only be fulfilled by specialists. Consequently, successful products represent well-managed product design collaboration. These are individuals who cooperatively
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Understanding Creativity—the Magical Factor in Product Design
In a broad perspective, design is at the center of humanity and civilization. It’s what defines culture, history and the world we live in. Humans or nature have designed virtually everything around us, and that’s probably why the design factor is often overlooked. But when the design is noticed, it is typically discussed in terms of its function, appearance or ease of use. And all of those factors link to a common baseline that dictates or supports the final design solution. We call it creativity. It is the magical factor that leads to solutions for complex problems and spectacular designs
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