New Direction

When emotions get the best of you, it’s hard to know where to go. As industrial designers, there aren’t 100’s of positions available at any given time. It’s necessary to focus what you have, with what’s out there. This sometimes means going back into your approach and making some changes. It’s probably not a good idea to go back into projects with a new style in order to make them look more marketable. The reason is, your technique may improve, but your design sense stays the same. To become a better designer you must get better at designing, not producing.

So start there.

Search the core of design and who is at the forefront of solution. Look into some kooky design philosophies and study their approach. A good one to start with is Ross Lovegrove’s theory of DNA (Design, Nature, Art). He looks into the evolution of nature and mimics the way beauty is created from it. How can nature be used in mass production with the tools available to us? Is it as easy as it looks? Not really, which is what makes it such an interesting study. This is by no means "state of the art" thinking anymore, but it can open your mind to someone else's thought process.

Okay, found one.

Take on a subject based on products from a company you find desirable. Take the opportunity to practice what you’ve learned and see what you come up with. This is also an opportune time to practice your style as well. Start building consistency with your previous work and voila! A step in a new direction, and possibly even a portfolio piece.

If anyone has an example they’d like to share, we’d love to see it.