WHAT THE F@#K IS PRODUCT DESIGN

Contemporary Design Culture: Week 1

Trying to sum up a product designer is difficult. As a student, when looking ahead into industry there seems to be many definitions of the position of a product designer: ‘problem solver’, ‘engineer’, ‘artist’, ‘visionary’, ‘idealist’, ‘team player’, ‘researcher’ ‘strategist’, or ‘liaison’. I believe there is not one definition but that there is many.

This semester we started our new product design module, ‘Design Culture’. The culture and history of Design is something that I have always been interested in. My first exposure to the culture and thought process behind design was when someone mentioned the name ‘Dieter Rams’ to me. I found it fascinating to think about how much thought went behind tiny details of everyday items such as the radio or razor.

One of the first questions asked of us in this module was ‘Is Product Design Art or Engineering?’. We could only pick one or the other. My first reaction was that this is a definite loaded question. The real answer is that product design is a blend of both Art and Engineering and the shift of emphasis changes for every stage for every product or service. However it was a very interesting way to explore the reasoning to say whether product design was simply just art or just engineering. What I found interesting was that the explanations fell into a paradox:

If we thought about it at basic level, product design could be argued to be simply art. The product designer can draw and create something that works and is beautiful. (If it does not work it cannot be deemed to be beautiful). It is then implied that the artist would have to ensure that the product did have form following function.

However Engineers follow this principle too and would have a similar argument stating that it is their problem solving skills that make products and services work and not the beauty of the product. I believe to problem solve, would incorporate a level or creativity and ingenuity, which we often associate with the artist.

My own opinion, is that I feel that the typical artist can think broader and deeper when designing than the engineer. As product designers, we do not design for today. We must design for tomorrow. That is the only way change and improvement can happen. In todays age, sustainability and product lifespan are now a mandatory questions we must ask ourselves about everything we are designing. How does this help or improve the world we live in? I am of course still a young designer and I still have lots to learn, what is wrong and what is right, what can be done and what can’t.

This module is quickly becoming my favourite. I enjoy asking questions about why we do things and the way we do them. It is also so interesting to learn how my friends in the course view design and what is their opinions of good design!

Here is to week 2!