Product Design

The main aim of the product designer is to make life easier for the consumer. However, in order for the product to be bought it must be well designed (functional and hard wearing) and aesthetically pleasing.

The marketplace is a competitive field where companies must pitch their product against the same product made by a different company.

The product designer must be intuitive and creative.
 

Questions to consider:

Have you ever considered why certain objects are the way they are?

Why has a chair got four legs and a back?

Why do your shoes have rubber soles?

Why do some plastic bottles have screw top lids?

Why does a pair of scissors have plastic handles?

The designer must first ensure that the product can perform the function that is required of it and the materials and form which could improve the function. The designer can then think about how to decorate the product.

It is interesting to map the changing or evolving design of a product, such as the laptop, the mobile phone or the photography camera. Take note of how developments in technology and the development of new materials affect the design. Observe how the scale, form, and functions all develop in unison.