How can companies like IDC help young designers?
[It’s World Industrial Design Day! This year we’re celebrating young designers and their contributions to the future of design. This got us thinking about how we can best support young designers in the workplace and we asked our Brunel University placement student, Peter Hiles, to advise: 'How can companies like IDC help young designers and what experience do students most want from companies?'
]
- Gaining manufacturing process experience is an important area for students. There’s nothing better than seeing a product being developed and taken through all the stages required for manufacturing. One thing I have benefited from at IDC is having time off-site to visit suppliers and manufacturers, along with internal training days so I can understand the full process. We also have sessions where external companies or members of the team share knowledge about manufacture methods and what is achievable using different approaches.
- I think a lot of young product designers take advantage of the amazing CAD and software apps that are available to design and visualise products on a screen. But there really is no substitute for seeing the ‘real product’ in the form of various models. I’ve been lucky at IDC to be able to work with IDC Models, IDC’s in-house model making facility, which has meant I have seen a broad range of different model making techniques that check both form and functionality of products in development. This is a great extra dimension that product design students could benefit from.
- Learning the basics of project management; how to set good aims and objectives and ensure you achieve them. I’ve found discussions with other designers and engineers in the team are really useful for bouncing off ideas and setting realistic targets, while one to one meetings with directors are especially good for reviewing progress and making sure you’re on track with timing. Having a friendly and open-door policy helps in the work environment, which is a new experience for most students.
- Sustainable design is a growing issue for our generation and all young product designers should have an understanding of the basics. If there is an option to see sustainable design in action, make sure you take advantage of this learning opportunity. Sustainable design is built into the product design process at IDC, so I have benefited from this experience during my placement.
- Every product design consultancy has a slightly different approach to product development. IDC has developed its process over 40 years and having the team explain early on how their design process works, as well as company values, has been helpful throughout the year.
- Finally, companies can do a lot to help young designers coming into the commercial world when it comes to simplifying company procedures. Companies should ensure they have an employee handbook which explains how to perform small tasks such as creating POs, assigning time to projects, minutes of meetings - all of which is new territory to students.
Peter Hiles, Brunel University Placement Student at IDC
29 June 2016