Worn & Wound
Industrial Design: Loosely Explained
It’s a hot, muggy Saturday afternoon, and as a parent you find yourself at a local splash pad for a 3-year-old’s birthday party with 37 other people. Most of them are adults you don’t know, or you do know but have definitely forgotten their names. After your kid finally sheds the shy cling to your leg and runs off to the water features with their buddies, you begrudgingly gravitate toward a few unidentified parents talking. Upon entering the circle, you present your name and state whose parent you are before an awkward silence falls, and you hear those words: “So, what do you do for work?” Because at this point it’s either that or the weather, and the circle has already covered the later topic one too many times. Work-it’s that inevitable question we’re all asked during those awkward, seemingly weekly toddler birthday parties. “I’m an Industrial Designer” isn’t the most glamorous or self-explanatory response. That’s ok though, because after a few back and forth questions and answers in the circle many start to realize how much around them is designed, considered, and produced to make our lives a bit better. But like all coins, there are always two sides to the story. Making more things is not necessarily the answer, but I believe making things that speak to us, move us, and change our lives even in the slightest is what makes good industrial design great. At its core, Industrial Design is the process of creating physical products for mass manufa...
