Designers of utensils are the pivot in an interdisciplinary trade. To create and sell usable designs, successfully, they must be able to constantly switch between their own ideas and the knowledge and experience of engineers, designers, ergonomists, marketers, scientists, manufacturers and consumers.
However different designers may be, basic knowledge of the five main thematic pillars on which each product is built is indispensable: material, construction, function, meaning and market. Knowledge of these pillars helps the designer to develop and evaluate their product critically, as well as to answer questions such as the following: What do I want to make and in what way?’, ‘What is my fascination?’, ‘How do I relate to the world, and ‘What place do I want to occupy in it?’
In this book Jeroen van den Eijnde and Hans Ansems describe how designs are created, how they are structured and what the designer’s motivations, sources of inspiration, questions and preferences are. This book is for anyone who wants to learn more about the process of design and the effect of design on the environment. The richly illustrated book offers inspiration thanks to many historical and contemporary examples, and helps to make a critical choice from various design principles and research methods, allowing further deepening of personal fascinations.
