There’s a standard formulation that says “form follows function,” but I don’t quite agree with it. I believe that form is a resolution of function – this includes several aspects such as technical characteristics, feel, market, and target audience.
The task of design as a process is to satisfy the interests of the end user and the producer, while taking into account the available means of production.
In industrial design, it is more difficult and more important to strike a balance. If in architecture, for example, you can afford non-standard solutions, to create unique projects for each building, in industrial design you must always keep in mind the need for mass production.
You also need to understand the cost in advance – the freedom to choose forms and materials is determined primarily by the category in which the product stands, how much it can cost to the consumer, and how much it will cost to produce.
How the devices are created
There is a more or less standard product launch cycle. Depending on the complexity of the device and the minimum planned quantity, it can vary – if less than a thousand units will be produced, some steps can be skipped, and if scaling more than 100 thousand will require a full cycle.
A unique design language serves to make the brand stand out in the market, to give it a “face.” If you are “another brand” that produces “another device” that is no different, it will be very difficult for you to prove your usefulness and superiority over your competitors.
If you use a certain angle, all other devices must replicate its shape, if some material or texture is used, they must be traceable everywhere.
In the DFM [designed for manufacturing] stage, a detailed 3D model is created that takes into account the available manufacturing methods. What makes industrial design different is that it’s limited by the tooling. If a part is drawn, the designer has to know exactly where, what it will be made of, and how it will be produced. When the era of mass 3D printing arrives, there will be more freedom, but for now it is necessary to understand where there will be CNC turning, where there will be casting, and where there will be stamping.
Designed devices are worked out to the finest detail inside and out
Before you move on to mass production, you must go through several stages of prototyping, “lick” the project to perfection, and only then plan the assembly lines, organize the supply of materials and so on. But here, all the details require a separate article.
Who rules the production – marketing specialists or engineers?
The initiative is distributed differently everywhere, each company has its own culture. Somewhere designers rule, somewhere marketers and product specialists, somewhere engineers.
In most Asian companies, marketing is still in charge – this is the inertia of the market.
For example, modern phones with a thin frame aesthetically look beautiful, they kind of bring us closer to the future in terms of perception of the device. But in terms of mechanical design and usability, it’s a living hell. It’s a wearable device that gets dropped a lot – but it takes a whole secondary industry of cases and accessories to make it usable for its intended purpose.