#006: The Creators Revolution + Mid-Week Update - February 2, 2022

Designing in the Wild · 2 Feb 2022 · 5m

What this episode covers

The host of Designing in the Wild reflects on his 15-year career as a lead designer for the Amazon Dash Card, describing his design lab as a 'war room' that was misunderstood by colleagues as merely an 'arts and crafts area.' He argues that industrial design bridges the gap between aesthetic appeal, which drives 'shelf velocity,' and technical manufacturing constraints, countering the historical undervaluation of creativity. The episode concludes with a preview of an upcoming interview with Dan Griner, director of industrial design at the University of Colorado Denver, and a mention of a previous conversation with VR designer Todd Heavenstreet.

Other shows on the same ground, closest first.

  • Product Startup · 35m

    082: Smooth Product Flow from Visual Design to Engineering

    Robert Irwin, former Lead Industrial Designer at Amazon for the Amazon Dash Cart, explains how industrial design and mechanical engineering teams can collaborate effectively to avoid costly rework. He advocates for an early, iterative 'ping pong' process where engineers and designers brainstorm constraints and user needs simultaneously, rather than passing work linearly 'over the fence.' Irwin emphasizes that dedicated project management and frequent stakeholder communication are essential to aligning technical feasibility with customer value before tooling begins.

  • IDology · 58m

    IDology #3 - Being a versatile product designer

    Mikołaj Wiewióra, a senior designer at the industrial design studio Mindsailors, discusses the challenges and benefits of working across diverse industries, from consumer electronics to medical devices and industrial machinery. He explains how cross-industry experience drives innovation by transferring technologies like 3D printing and manufacturing constraints between sectors, and emphasizes that effective communication with both technical and marketing clients is critical to project success. Wiewióra also highlights the importance of designing for repairability and value rather than just competing on price against mass-market giants like IKEA.

  • Thoroughly Considered · 50m

    113: I Wasn’t Expecting Therapy Today

    Tom Gerhardt and Dan Provost of Studio Neat discuss the production challenges of the Keen safety razor, specifically the assembly of tiny M1.4 screws and the surprising color preference data where orange leads black. They also reveal they have hired Jacob, a junior designer/engineer, to help scale operations, leading to a deep discussion on the psychological dynamics of receiving feedback, the importance of separating personal identity from design work, and the distinction between design as service versus art.

  • Making It · 1h 18m

    417: Special Old People Shoes

    Jimmy Diresta, Bob Clagett, and David Picciuto discuss the nuances of design, moving from logo creation to 3D product development. They explore how constraints, materials, and processes dictate design decisions, with Bob detailing his leather bag and aluminum toolbox projects and Jimmy sharing his approach to the Lightburn Conference and store migration. David offers insights from his graphic design background, emphasizing visual communication and the importance of deconstructing ideas to find their core message.

  • Ep 1: The hard truth about building design team

    VyasTeja Rao and Divya Rao, founders of Analogy Design Studio, discuss their 10+ year journey from a garage in the US to a global industrial design firm in India. They detail the company's evolution, including name changes from 'Arivu' and 'Artifact' to 'Analogy,' and their strategic decision to maintain a small, specialized team of under 30 people to avoid commoditization. The founders explain their hiring philosophy, centered on a 'no asshole policy' and a focus on ambition and speed, while defining industrial design as a commercial discipline deeply rooted in user psychology and manufacturing constraints.

The summary, chapters and topics are generated from the episode’s audio by this directory, not written by Designing in the Wild. The episode itself belongs to its publisher.