Product Design
What is Product Design?
In 2007 the Telsa Roadster electric car won gold at the International Design Excellence Awards. The designers of the Roadster didn’t stop at making their car fast and sporty – they made it green. Increasingly, product designers have a focus that goes beyond aesthetics. Ecology, ergonomics, and even branding and service innovation have come under the auspices of product designers.
A sub-field of industrial design, product design is the development of goods to meet the needs of clients, consumers, and society. These goods span a variety of categories including automobiles, house wares, furniture, tools, medical equipment, construction equipment, and more. Some of these products are new innovation and others are improvements of already existing products. The Arnell Group redesigned the fire Extinguish, calling theirs the Home Hero Fire Extinguisher, making it so visually appealing that it can be hung in plain sight without disrupting the aesthetic of the home or office. Extremis worked with the common umbrella to create the InUmbra, a patio umbrella that has its pulleys on top and out of sight.
Product Design is about far more than appearance. Products designers create goods specifically designed to help the environment, to aid in the comfort and health of its users, and to be so innovative as to be useful for years to come.
The Study of Product Design
Industrial Design programs prepare product designers for all phases of the design processes: Idea development, consumer and product research, concept development, testing, manufacturing (custom-made and mass produced), and implementation. Product design courses usually include computer-aided design or CAD, drawing and sketching, marketing, engineering, science, and management.
Product Design programs give students necessary background, knowledge and experience in design, but they also guide student in creating a portfolio. Portfolios are required during most interviews with manufacturing and product design firms.
Product Design Colleges
The popularity of product designs such as the design of Apple’s Ipod has increased the visibility of the field of product design. As a result many colleges are seeing a great influx of students into their product design programs. This popularity has also been a factor in the development of online product design programs. Penn State University offers a Bachelor of Science in Computer Aided Product Design that can be earned completely online. Also, the Academy of Art University Online offers a Bachelor of Fine Arts and a Master of Fine Arts in Industrial Design.
Product Design Careers
Graduates of product design programs can look forward to positions as design drafters, product drafters, design technicians, project managers, researchers, and sales and marketing associates.