Today’s most dominant industrial design trend has no less lofty a goal than saving the Earth. Designers like Yves Béhar for Herman Miller and Harry Bertoia are designing eco-friendly products like an energy-saving desk light and a sustainable outdoor chair, respectively
Consumers aren’t the only ones taking a closer look at the size of their environmental footprint. Manufacturers are increasingly using sustainable materials, focusing on cleaning up the production process and considering the environmental impact of shipping and production. In furniture design, for example, products certified by the International Forest Stewardship Alliance are made by manufacturers that make the best use of forest resources, reducing damage and waste and avoiding over-consumption and over-harvesting.
After years of years of ‘lip service,’ people now value green, demand green and are willing to pay for green products, People will pay more for green design because they want to openly acknowledge their environmental sensitivity
Another global trend concerns consumers living outside of designers’ usual markets. Experts say we can expect to see more products and tools created specifically for developing nations. “Design today is targeted at 10% of the global population,” “The next five years will see an explosion of design aimed at the needs of those in emerging markets like Africa and Southeast Asia.”
Other design trends focus on form more than function. Take personalization. Consumers have more control than ever over the look of the product they are purchasing. And this trend is more than just monogramming an L.L. Bean camping bag: Nike‘s iD custom shoes allow users to choose their own colors and materials, and embroider their name on their “kicks.” Or kids can visit the Build-a-Bear Workshop to construct their own stuffed animal, even including a custom sound chip.
The do-it-yourself movement is an extension of this trend. Publications like Ready Made magazine encourage consumers to put their own spin on things, all the while cutting costs. D.I.Y may always be popular among a certain customer base.
Regardless of whether or not consumers have a hand in designing their own gear, industrial designers will be in higher demand than ever.
Industrial design used to be a value-added service. Now, every talked-about product has a specific function and a meaning, not just one or the other. Industrial designers are essential in defining the where and why of a product.
Traditionally, there was a simple structure in the creative industry. Brand hired agency, agency came up with the creative, agency hired production company with a roster of directors, Production Company delivered the work, and agency worked with media partner and distributed the content as part of a wider campaign. With so many distribution channels available today and access to suppliers more prevalent than ever, the traditional structures have, inevitably, changed. Here are some of the key changes
BRANDS: Large brands such as Unilever, Starbucks and BMW have already set up in-house production capabilities with the help of Oliver agency. A number of other brands will follow in 2017 but although control and cost savings are attractive, there are limitations to their capability and creativity that working with agencies offers them. Brands including Airbnb and Skyscanner are adopting the approach of hiring specialist producers, bypassing both the agencies and production companies by going direct to freelancers. As a general theme, brands are getting savvier to the production process with ex-production/ex-agency producers moving client side. Technology like in other industries is also increasing visibility on talent and making the collaboration process easier
AGENCIES: As a way of keeping business inside the big agency groups they’ve been rapidly scaling out their in-house production units. In some cases, this has been extremely effective for the agencies, but many have struggled with attracting the best talent on full-time contracts and clients are increasingly questioning if they are getting the best quality work or value for money. Recent bid-rigging investigations are going to put the spotlight on many of the agencies at the start of 2017 and clients will be scrutinising their processes and recommendations more closely. The big winners for 2017 will be the PR companies who have strong client relationships and established distribution networks. They’ve already been adding creative and production capabilities and will be winning work from the traditional creative agencies who have been undergoing some big changes. Another area to watch with interest is the consultancy businesses who also have the trust and ear of clients. Accenture recently bought Karmarama at the end of year, showing their intention to move into this space
FREELANCERS: Freelancers were the big winners in 2016. With many agencies trying to attract full-time staff and production companies streamlining their processes, freelancers have seen an increase in the number of work opportunities. Quite a bit of this is still coming from word-of-mouth recommendations but increasingly producers are looking at alternatives to their current suppliers as the pressures to produce more and better quality work increases. 2017 will see more freelancers in the market, and it’s going to get competitive; it’s therefore more important than ever to project yourself in the right way. We are seeing an interesting trend of people working remotely and unlocking the global workforce, hiring based on talent and not limited by location.
