Materials and Design: Design & Designing

Chapter Three: Design and Designing

Reflection:
This chapter aims to differentiate the two subcategories of technical design and industrial design. It differentiates the two by defining what each field typically does as well as describing the differences between the processes and ways of thinking in both fields. The focus then shifts from describing the two fields to providing aids to the reader who it assumes is a designer. It suggests looking at nature for inspiration, ideation and prototyping to further develop and improve the final model. It also describes how tools such as sketching and CAD can be beneficial to a designer by describing the advantages to each system within the process of development as a designer designing something. We also get a glimpse of case studies from design firms such as IDEO to further understand the processes by which each product is made, and how that process may have actually altered the final form of the product. That seems to be a reoccurring theme of the book; that is that the process and materials that a designer uses can actually be more influential in the final design of a product than whatever preconceived form that may be imbedded within the head of the designer. This chapter, as well as the previous chapters seem to suggest that knowing the process, and the materials you are going to work with will alleviate issues that you are likely to occur as a designer attempting to design something and see it through towards the production line.