Not sure this is the best forum but seems as good as any and a quick search didn't change my mind.
I had a phone call with an Industrial Designer earlier that we've used a few times previously who ranted about the way we have used their services.
Basically we'll give them the basic product information/envelope etc. and have them come up with some schemes for packaging it to be more aesthetically pleasing and in some cases meet certain ergonomics requirements etc. In one or two cases we've then actually had them do some of the detail design of the covers etc, in other cases we've used their concepts as a starting point and then fleshed the rest out our selves because with the time schedules we usually have we to go to them before everything is fleshed out so changes occur etc.
It seems this latter approach is highly offensive to him. It was like we were somehow undermining his artistic integrity or something. Apparently we should have gone back to him for every little change and paid him the tens of thousands of dollars it would cost without batting an eye lid. Now this guy has done the design of some high profile items which if I said the name you’d all recognize but still. He also started going on about how he was trained in this type of thing or something and how many industrial designers wouldn’t’ put up with it and wouldn’t allow their designs to be changed.
Our products are low volume, though fairly high price. However, 50-100k spread over say a couple of hundred units is still a sizeable chunk.
I can kind of understand that it may be frustrating coming up with something you think is really good then having it butchered by what you perceive as 'amateurs' but most of the 'butchery' is for a good reason driven by some design requirement or another. These products are scientific/industrial metrology instruments not consumer goods so while aesthetics are important they aren't the be all and end all, at least in my opinion.
So is this typical of how industrial designers work, or is our guy a prema donna? Are any industrial designers out there willing to just provide basic concepts for companies to then build on, or do you insist on controlling every little detail?
I had a phone call with an Industrial Designer earlier that we've used a few times previously who ranted about the way we have used their services.
Basically we'll give them the basic product information/envelope etc. and have them come up with some schemes for packaging it to be more aesthetically pleasing and in some cases meet certain ergonomics requirements etc. In one or two cases we've then actually had them do some of the detail design of the covers etc, in other cases we've used their concepts as a starting point and then fleshed the rest out our selves because with the time schedules we usually have we to go to them before everything is fleshed out so changes occur etc.
It seems this latter approach is highly offensive to him. It was like we were somehow undermining his artistic integrity or something. Apparently we should have gone back to him for every little change and paid him the tens of thousands of dollars it would cost without batting an eye lid. Now this guy has done the design of some high profile items which if I said the name you’d all recognize but still. He also started going on about how he was trained in this type of thing or something and how many industrial designers wouldn’t’ put up with it and wouldn’t allow their designs to be changed.
Our products are low volume, though fairly high price. However, 50-100k spread over say a couple of hundred units is still a sizeable chunk.
I can kind of understand that it may be frustrating coming up with something you think is really good then having it butchered by what you perceive as 'amateurs' but most of the 'butchery' is for a good reason driven by some design requirement or another. These products are scientific/industrial metrology instruments not consumer goods so while aesthetics are important they aren't the be all and end all, at least in my opinion.
So is this typical of how industrial designers work, or is our guy a prema donna? Are any industrial designers out there willing to just provide basic concepts for companies to then build on, or do you insist on controlling every little detail?
Posting guidelines faq731-376 (probably not aimed specifically at you)
What is Engineering anyway: faq1088-1484
What is Engineering anyway: faq1088-1484
