Did anyone check this out last weekend? a confrence filled with burning man-esque tinkerers and garage inventors… clever people that put off the shelf products together with creative intent - helium filled foam that floated up to the clouds, kinetic sculptures, homemade wind power generators, PCB I/O controllers that could power endless concepts,…
Frog design mind has focused on this trend in several of their enGadget columns… more product related though, like Homemade Ipod chargers in altoids boxes, etc.
I couldn’t help but to think abut how some of the concepts were like the thinking that happens in ID. Allot of them needed more thought on styling, but the challenge was way more than just “what shade of silver metallic should this widgit be painted”… IMO Industrial designer are easily clever enought to figure out the mechanics (or find people that can)
Once rapid prototyping gets even cheaper, or home destop 3d printers come out - the era of making new products for yourself might be upon us, and designers might be ideally positioned to apply their experience…
I sometimes exchange emails with Torrone and company (a result of my hijacking the 3D from a videostream). It’s fun stuff they’re doing.
It’s also why I’m asking for people’s input here on the ID Resource thread. Just like that one, the software list I maintain here, and the only Design Slam, I’m trying to help ID. But for some reason people don’t want to share as if they’re protecting … something.
This profession and most of the people in it are in for a rude awakening soon. Either work with the emerging technologies, learn how to leverage them. Or start flipping burgers. There are people out there who are going to compete who most of us never considered “competition”. Design is not special.
California Has some really creative bay area people. At some point even the computer-jockey-by-day; Gamer-by-night wants a new hobby.
Blending tinkering with creativity sure leads to some nice products.
The point is that these people are not always copying a product to do a certian function.
Generally they are taking a product, old Motorola chip, controller, or something else, and repurposing the batch of items to into a hobby product for thier own use.
ID is the next step to bridge that hobby item to a marketplace.