WHY?
- 90% of start-ups fail.
- 70% of newly launched products fail in the first year.
- 80% of products fail in the long run.
What comes to your mind when you hear the name of a big company like Coca-Cola? Is it the company’s white inscription? The shape of the bottle? Maybe even Santa Claus, or just a recognizable red color? All of the above embodies the best-selling sweet drink we all know. Coincidence? No, it is the exceptionally well-thought-out process of designing a brand and product that is immediately recognizable and evokes particular emotions on an unconscious level.
Industrial designers develop products with the goal of creating emotional connections with the user. They focus on the design, fit, performance, and optimization of the products to offer the best possible user experience. The role of an industrial designer in the product development process is to establish a design that will communicate the brand and identity of the company to users while increasing recognizability and sales.
Without a good industrial design, a company or product can suffer from a lack of attention, recognizability, and loyalty of a target audience. Consumer research shows that product design is much more important than many companies imagine. Design does indeed have a significant impact on how people perceive the values, products, and services of a particular company. Shapes, fonts, and colors are essential aspects of design, as they symbolize ideas, express mood, and direct the view.
With the right approach throughout the process of industrial product design, we:
- symbolize ideas
- direct attention
- express emotions and moods
- create trust
- high-level communicate with users
You can see our final products here.
INDUSTRIAL DESIGN – WHAT IT IS
The process of industrial or product design combines areas of design, art, and science. Designers seek to improve the aesthetics, ergonomics, and usability of the product, which significantly affect the production and its sale. Through the creation process, designers engage in the development of concepts and specifications that optimize the functionality and value of a product. One definition of the term ‘design’ comes from Carnegie Mellon’s design school, namely: “Design is the process of taking something out of its existing state and moving it to some new desired state.” This claim applies to all works of art whose condition is undefined or needs to be improved for one reason or another.
INDUSTRIAL DESIGNER
What do they do:
- Research who and will use a particular product and how
- Research the ergonomics and concept designs
- Sketch ideas of how the product will look and make a concept of how it will work
- Create a 3D model of the product with computer software
- Examine the materials and production costs of the product
- Collaborate with other experts to assess whether design concepts will meet reasonable price needs
- Evaluate the safety, appearance, and performance of the product to determine if the design is practical
- Manufacture or participate in the production of a product prototype for customers
Industrial designers often work with engineers, production professionals, and marketing specialists to optimize a product and determine its feasibility and market potential.
The workspace of industrial designers often includes drawing desks, meeting rooms, computers, and other office equipment needed to draw models and communicate with clients. In addition to working in the office, it is of the utmost importance for an industrial designer to visit design and testing centers, customer showrooms, homes, workplaces of clients, and factories where the product is/will be manufactured. Only so they can best contribute to the development of a particular product.
INDUSTRIAL DESIGN FOR START-UPS
Two crucial aspects during the industrial product design process for a start-up company are the costs (especially production costs) and the needs of potential users. When a company wants to launch a new product, they need to know whether customers will actually need it or not. When working with start-ups, designers must find out why people use a particular product, how they could attract new potential users, and, consequently, enable the company to grow.
A start-up company must develop a design mindset, and industrial design is one of the principal identity displays of a brand. It is all about the connection between the company’s image and values and the way their product is used. The concept of design chosen is like a rule, a standard that remains unchanged.
For example, if a company wants to instill a certain degree of simplicity in their product design, designers need to keep a minimalist style. The design choice depends on what the company wants to communicate to the potential user.
We are a young start-up company too, so we understand the operation and wishes of other start-ups we are working with.
INDUSTRIAL DESIGN FOR ESTABLISHED COMPANIES
The industrial product design process for already established companies is much more demanding. In this case, our designers spend much more time analyzing, as it is necessary to adhere to the existing principles and vision of the company. It is imperative to examine all previous products and circumstances established by the company (shape of premises, logo, values, et al.), as this is the only way for our employees to improve and refine the desired product. The final product must be “something more” without moving away from the company values.
Our designers are not here to outsmart companies or steer them in another direction, but listen to their wishes and find the best possible solution. Since our designers cannot know all the business details and what the company has already achieved, constant cooperation is essential. At Kreatif Design, we have great respect for the past work of companies. Our industrial designers try to improve products from a design point of view with small interventions, as they see things with totally different, designer eyes. That is how new, innovative ideas are born.
DESIGN PROCESS
At the Kreatif Design studio, our designers create changes throughout the process. Product design is an area of work where creativity, technical analysis, and the needs of start-up companies meet, so ingenuity and creative thinking are indispensable values of all our designers.
Key elements to consider when planning to start a cooperation:
- Agreement.
Firstly, our designers conduct a thorough interview with the client or start-up company that has decided to cooperate with us. Our designers do their best to recognize the customer’s needs or/and wishes. Empathy, consistency, and precision are of the utmost importance. - Analysis. Once they get a common language and figure out what’s best for the design of a particular product, our employees systematically explore the working area of the customer. Very important for our designers is also to recognize the competition. By doing so, they gain a comprehensive insight into the operation and correctly determine the values of a particular company, which are often crucial in order to take the product to a higher aesthetic and usability level. Designers need to be able to think differently and look for new solutions that go beyond existing alternatives.
- Designing. After the analysis is completed, the process of sketching, modeling, and visualization begins. Our employees strive for uniqueness from the very beginning of the design process. Our industrial designers carefully design changes while increasing the functional value of the products. Our work reflects our values.
- Iteration. The road to success does not follow a straight line. The more you can loop through the “Understand > Create > Learn” cycle, the higher chance you have for good results.
“MAKE A DIFFERENCE”
The highest possible quality of the finished work and creative concepts and solutions are our priorities. Our designers are always looking for the ideal material and, when possible, we opt local and ecological materials. The work of our industrial designers results in products with added value and improved usability, reduced production costs, and even higher sales. Psychological processes such as the seduction that the product must reflect, the desires, and the emotional attachment of the user to the product, play a central role in industrial design. Our industrial designers truly take the products to a new dimension.
We follow the values associated with “making a difference”.
The work of our industrial designers leads the product to added value with improved usability, reduced production costs and even higher sales. Some classic models, however, are considered a great work of art with exceptional aesthetic value as part of industrial engineering. Psychological processes also play an important role in industrial design. As a basic example, we can mention the seduction that the product must reflect, as well as the desires and emotional attachment of the user to the product. Our industrial designers definitely take the products to a new dimension.