“Form follows function” This is probably one of the most common phrases that people hear about design. Although the statement is true in some cases, it has also brought negative effects to designers. Very often, designers who follow that statement blindly could never explain to me how their design would be manufactured or maintained. As a result, they always push the responsibility to mechanical engineers. One of the biggest thing that made industrial designers stood out when compared to other design majors is the manufacturing aspects. We don't have to be the best engineer or innovate new machines, but we need to be knowledgeable enough to communicate with factories and mechanical engineers. Personally, I think that being knowledgeable with manufacturing methods and processes can drastically support design decisions, as well as improving design concepts. Some of the best experience I've had as an industrial designer was simply having a discussion with a mechanical engineer and tackling design challenges together — especially on the Intel project WithMe.
