Abstract:

Product development or industrial design is a complex process. A process in which the product
developer will have to play a different role, depending on the process stage: the role of manager,
engineer, visualiser or creator of a shape for the future product.
Within this multidisciplinary approach, the phase of styling of a design concept, and presenting and
considering different possible form alternatives is a necessary step in the decision-making process.
This paper describes a methodological approach in creating different design proposals based on a
prelimanary determined volume. This approach is aimed at first year students industrial design or
product development. Although these basic skills may seem obvious to experienced designers, our
teaching experience has taught us that many students struggle with the ability to create valuable form
alternatives.
The underlying foundation of this study of form is the step-by-step approach. The design process is
divided into consecutive and comprehensive manipulations of a basis geometric mono volume.
First generation design:
The objectives of the first stage are focused on the insight that a mono volume is composed of a
number of surfaces, and that the principle of unifying surfaces by replacing ribs by a radius, can
already generate a large number of form variations. By varying the sizes of the different radius, the
orientation of the volume itself will alter as well.
Second generation design:
The objectives of the second stage are centred on the insight that the results of the first generation
design process are not an end point, but can be a starting point for further manipulation.
Firstly, we consider how the overall visual impact of the form will change into a more dynamic
character by replacing the remaining (straight) ribs by curves, or by replacing the flat surfaces by
curvatures. Secondly, by chamfering the new created ribs, by adding new surfaces, or by a combination
of these manipulations.
Since it does not consider proportion or product details, this step-by-step approach does not
guarantee aesthetical results, but provides insight into how the consecutive manipulation method can
help students more easily generate form alternatives, based on different surface orientations.