To Thine Own Self Be True…
I don’t know how long it’s been since you’ve been reminded, but a square peg does not fit in a round hole.
It may seem obvious, but so often I find that as a creative there’s generally hole of expectations that we’re expected to conform our square personalities to.
While I was attending industrial design courses at Arizona State University, I always had the impression that industrial designers really need to know as much as they can about design for manufacturing to be hirable after graduation. I also thought that a successful designer must have a proficient grasp on Solidworks and Keyshot to do their job well.
Don’t misunderstand, I do think that understanding basic principles of manufacturing and how to model/render CAD models with Solidworks and Keyshot are great skills to possess- but they don’t define your value as a designer.
In the third episode of The Variable, we talk with Ken Mori about his experience working in design. He shares some eye opening truths that we all should remember.
The best tools for you to use are the ones you are comfortable with. If Solidworks is limiting your potential as a creative and you prefer using Alias. Use Alias! At Belkin, they generally use Solidworks, but have known to hire designers that use other software because they were just so good!
Find what you’re passionate about and embrace doing it. Not everyone is able to monetize their side hustle, but you’re an innovator! If you can find a way to make a living doing what you love, then do it. If you can’t, then use your passion as an outlet to balance out what you’re doing to make ends meet.
There’s no box that all industrial designers fit in. If you love designing futuristic blasters that can’t be manufactured, keep doing it! With the rise of AR/VR capabilities the future of Industrial Design easily will evolve into developing digital products that can’t be made in the “real world.”
We don’t all wear black turtle necks, we all haven’t interned at IDEO or Frog, but we’re all valuable and have unique skills to bring to the table. To hear more about these and other great insights from Ken Mori, be sure to listen to the third episode of The Variable.
May we all continue to design the environment that we truly fit in!
Russ
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About Ken-
Ken Mori is the Principal Designer at Belkin International. Ken has over 25 years of experience developing products from conception to mass production. Over this time, he has been granted dozens of patents and worked on over a hundred products sent to market. His work as a DIY urban designer has been included in the project Spontaneous Interventions, which was exhibited at the Venice Architecture Biennale.
In this episode of The Variable Ken shares inspiring insights about his journey in design thinking and product development. We discuss his social experiments and passion projects centered around improving our living spaces and communities. The topics we explore include (but aren't limited to):
- Is SolidWorks the best software for Industrial Designers?
- Can designers be successful without knowing fundamentals of design for manufacturing?
- What is the future of Industrial Design?
- Pursuing our passion for design in a fulfilling way.