What the F#*k is Product Design

We had our first contemporary design culture class a couple of days ago, as part of our study in UL, if I’m being honest, I was fully sure what that meant, I just assumed it was another design studio slot where we would complete projects and assignments but starting the presentation that idea was quickly expelled by big red writing declaring ‘this is not another design module’. It appeared to me that the class, rather than focusing on enhancing our design skills, aimed to teach us what exactly it is we as designers are meant to do, that question of course couldn’t be answered to a precise profession given that there are hundreds of possibilities but directed us more in the direction of what’s sets us apart from everyone else. One of the topics raised during the lecture which I found particularly relateable was the response people get when you tell them that you’re doing product design in college. Working on a building site during the summer I can see a great many people immediately follow up with the response ‘so… what would you design’. It might seem like a harmless question to most but when asked repetitively you come to think the name of the course is very self-explanatory. My usual response although is to simply state that we design products, everything must be designed which no argument can be made to. I found it interesting to hear that it was a common question, even to designers like our lecturer Muireann, who would be far more accomplished than me.

It seemed as the class went on it became more engaging and suddenly people were speaking up about their opinions, backing them up as they saw fit. As the class went on the course outline had come to an end and out of nowhere we were split into two groups at each side of the room depending on our belief to whether or not design was a form of art or engineering. Each side had to defend their opinion and attempt to persuade the other side that they were right, leading to a heated debate. Although each of us had formed an opinion I found it very interesting that while we chose a side, there wasn’t one person who believed that it was either one or the other but rather a mix, yet still it appeared as if some were defending their choice to the death.

Even as come to the end of my rant, it still seems too difficult to state exactly what product is. I feel that product design should be open to interpretation, given there is good design and bad design but there is no right or wrong way to get there, you as an individual have the freedom to express yourself in the exploration of your ideas and design outcomes. You have the freedom to create your own pieces of work whether they be artworks or engineering it comes down to you and ultimately you must decide what the f#*k is product design.