Industrial Designers…

(image Google) PixelStand designed by Jacqueline Bae - Google

It’s bad enough that most folks don’t know what an Industrial Designer is. But let’s say you do meet someone that sort of knows what an Industrial Designer does. “Yeah you design products, that’s engineering right?” Then what’s next in the conversation?!

Here is a take that adds a layer of detail. Industrial Designers shape what products look like and how they are used. When it comes to how we shape what a products look like, we organize and place in 3 dimensions, the elements* of a given product into its final shape. The end result is a product that is visually pleasing, functional and can be mass produced.

That’s a mouthful! OK, let’s explain this to aspiring kids, we get to design the way every product looks and feels and how you use it. Like the Switch, cool huh?!

Yeah, there’s a lot left out here. And yes, we go way beyond making things look pretty, hence the “functional and mass produced” statement above. Yes, we solve high level business problems, detail level product problems, make things ergonomic, use color, build empathy, create experiences, make things that are enduring, on and on.

But when it comes to creating form itself, what do we do? I’m sure there are tons of alternative thoughts! What would you say to the non designer about how we create form?

*elements = volumes, lines, surfaces and texture.