Doesn’t that already exist?
As a designer, you've probably experienced it before: you're at a party and you introduce yourself to a stranger. It's a pleasant conversation, and after your second drink, the question pops up: "So what do you do?" As a proud designer, you're naturally more than happy to tell them what you do and which agency you work for. "Okay, cool! And what kind of products do you design?" You mention the project you're currently working on, and then you hear that awkward comment: "But that already exists, right?"
The world is changing every second, and products need to keep pace. In fashion, for example, it’s perfectly normal to revamp your wardrobe every year to keep up with the trends. Design is a reason to buy a new shirt.
Industrial (product) designers, just like fashion designers, are constantly optimizing their products. This happens both at design agencies and in-house R&D departments (or a combination of the two). However, with products, it’s a bit different; as a good designer, you try to improve a product in other aspects besides design. This improvement can be very broad, for example, by adding more functions to the new product or increasing its ease of use. Fortunately, these days, people are also optimizing products in terms of carbon footprint and environmental impact. As a designer, you always strive to design a product with an optimal lifespan. It’s also wise to consider what happens to the product once it’s depreciated. For example, by reintroducing the product into a new life cycle through recycling or reuse (this is a very interesting topic, which we’ll explore in more detail later).
So, the life of a designer is more than just designing products that already exist. We’re constantly optimizing, developing new insights, and creating unique production methods, all while keeping the environment and the user in mind.
As designers at Fabrique Invent, we get to work on a wide variety of products and are constantly challenged to come up with new, innovative solutions.
Fabrique Invent & Boal Extrusion
What do you get when you combine technical precision, sustainable ambition, and creative innovation? A collaboration that has endured effortlessly for over 30 years and continues to surprise today.
The 3D printing revolution.
A deepdive into design agencies and their digital workshops.
A glimpse into the professional field.
As an alumni, Els was a guest at Saxion University of Applied Sciences to talk about our agency.