Paul Wormald

The Potential for the Bespoke Industrial Designer

Through the combination of innovative and emerging design and manufacturing technologies, a new bespoke industrial design methodology is emerging whereby there will be the ability for individuals to cost effectively control the design and manufacture of individual customized products. The use of novel design devices such as haptic modelling systems that can be used to create a customized three-dimensional model of a desired object, and the subsequent ability to three-dimensionally ‘print’ the design via rapid manufacturing technologies, will see the emergence of a breed of bespoke industrial designer. This paper introduces research work being undertaken at Loughborough University that is investigating these technologies and the effects and opportunities that they will have on the design and manufacturing community.

Front End Industrial Design (FE-ID) - Developing New Tools and Models for Industrial Designers to Operate at the Front End of New Product Development

The front end of new product development is often a focus for discussion about innovation. This paper presents a new model for how the role and place of industrial design can be re-positioned so that it has influence and impact at this front end. The aim of this is to develop the capability for industrial designers to generate creative ideas, or opportunities, that have resonance and relevance within the context of new product development, but that are made explicit before a design brief exists. A front end industrial design process model, developed for undergraduate designers and evaluated by industry, is described in detail.