My strategy is to have clients that are using design not only to keep profits coming, but to bring better products to the world also. But I define “better product to the world” as new technologies or any honest innovation as well as social explicit woks.
I like a lot Fuseproject’s portfolio: good aesthetic work with social meaning or technological breakthrough. To me one of those 3 aspects have to exist: Innovative, Technological or Social. Because, as happened to you, I soon realize that the briefs more often than not don’t evolved real innovation. A lot of design work fits exactly where the client doesn’t want to make bigger product changes, so he uses design to enhance the impression of change. So its profit for profit sake, witch for me doesn’t work. To aim at those 3 aspects doesn’t mean that aesthetic is to be neglected, on the contrary, aesthetic is the glue: present in all jobs, and the big responsible for make things work.
Right now I´ve been working in a Medical Device and in structural components for roofing. I feel very good doing this. BUT I am not earning enough money yet! So I really don’t know if this is going to work. I still accept any kind of product design briefing and try to gain loyalty from the clients I like.