a foam model I made for a cooking vessel
Product design is the manifestation of an idea into physical form. It is distinct from other forms of creation (such as art making and sculpture) in that it arises from a certain need and is intended to be used. Product design is a subset of Industrial Design (ID), but the latter has a broader range that includes systems design, exhibition design, package design, service design, and the emerging field of interaction design. Visit the IDSA website to read more about the field of Industrial Design.
Since the launch of the world wide web, new models of working have been introduced. With the advancement of telecommunications, employees and freelancers can now work from home , or virtually in any location as long as they have access to the internet. Employers can easily send out work to independent contractors (i.e. “outsource”), for most of their non-core business, and even some of their projects even though they have competency in it (but not enough labor capacity). This way, smaller companies without the financial muscle can compete with larger corporations. Companies don’t have to set-up a complete design department – they just need to identify their needs and send it to a subcontractor. This is especially true if they only require certain design services from time to time.
In Product Design, some of the tasks that can be outsourced include te following:
1. Research – independent contractors can do this task, and it may provide the company more unbiased results. Many companies, such as IDEO, are famous for including outsiders in the research phase.
2. Ideation – this can be in the form of visual story boards and/or a series of hand sketches and simple computer- generated graphics.
3. Vector drawings - these are line or filled drawings. They are flat, 2-dimensional diagrams using computer programs as Adobe Illustrator, Corel Draw, and others. They can be a simple representation of the design, or can be as complex as having dimensions and orthographic views.
4. 3D modeling and rendering – nowadays, there are tons of great 3D software available. Autocad, Rhino 3D, and Solidworks are some of the more popular ones. For some they need it for visualization and presentation purposes (e.g. interior design), while others need to send digital files for manufacturing (CAD/CAM). The level and accuracy of the 3-dimensional model depends on the requirements of the company.
5. Animation – taking 3D modeling to the next level, animation can make objects alive. Perhaps a company wants to show a particular part moves, or how an object is to be assemled – animation programs can do that. How about a walk-through inside a virtual architectural model? This can be done as well.
6. Prototype development – these can be simple cardboard or foam mock-ups, to intermediate wood, metal, ceramic, or plastic models, to advanced 3-dimensional laser-sintered models complete with functional parts. There’s a wide variety of prototyping tools and materials that will suit the particular needs of the company.