I'm a graduate from Central School St Martins in Industrial Design and Mechanical Engineering. Fantastic formal schooling that has stood me in great stead throughout my career. After high school my girlfriend called me excitedly about the Industrial Design program at Central School and she said to me "Paolo, this is so perfect for you you must pursue Industrial Design" so I did and she was right!
Most of my career was with 500 Group Inc an Intellectual Property Licensing company I founded. The business model was very simple. Sit around and invent product that didn't exist with a very talented team, then we would throw the great majority out and pursue the really great ones. I'm please to report we filed for over 155 mechanical and generated almost two billion dollars in revenue in many consumer product areas over the life of the Company.
Specifically what is 'Industrial Design' to me? this us synonymous with Commercial Art. Industrial design or I.D. is not pure art, I.D has a master and that master is the customer or the consumer. The work is commercial it must solve problems, with cost efficiency, manufacturabillity, and function. Last but not least it must be beautiful, lust worthy, I don't care what it is, it has to be beautiful.
So many, but lets stay current, this has to be the Apple Airpods. because they are intuitive and anticipate recurring actions, and with many thoughtful features, the magnetic snap to the case and the fact that it double as extra battery storage. expensive but try em for yourself.
It was my Company of course, a drinking glass with straw permanently affixed and spiraling around the outside of the glass. It was so successful, sold at MOMA, Museum of Modern Art and also made a guest appearance in one of the Star Trek movies.
It doesn't matter to me, if your an accountant you know numbers, if you know design you can work in most all disciplines and materials the first principles are the same.
Design is a pie, pick your favorite one, I'll go with pizza though instead of pizza its problem pie. Each slice is a problem. cost, manufacturabililty, beauty, longevity, commonality, protectability, simplicity, lust. Make sure all the pieces of the pie are solved. See where problem slices can assist each other. Then you'll have a winner
I think there is a huge amount of virtue signalling and ignorance generally with this topic, for example we have near limitless quantities of oil for plastics, using as much wood as possible is fine as it is a crop and even pollution is a self extinguishing problem. Let me focus on this last one as an example, pollution is inherently inefficient, it is a by product called wasted energy. The commercial markets don't like wasted energy as its not competitive, competing business's will make sure to drive out the inefficiency to become more profitable hence pollution is self extinguishing. Because of this the designer most focus all their energies on the end user.
The future of design is the same as the history of design, principle are principles. What changes are the designer tool box for software to social media to the instant access to research information and the ability to collaborate fluidly with people all over the world.
I live on the Las Vegas strip with a view of all the amazing creativity around me its an endless source of inspirations. When someone tells me I can't do something I'll perhaps point out of me window and show them a hotel in the shape of an Egyptian pyramid with the Sphinx outside. So don't tell me I can't do something!
I work with my own companies exclusively now. Its collaborative, I listen, I want other people to have better ideas than me so they take ownership sooner and we can wok quicker. Ideas are iterative they bounce around from person to person in discussion and then they pop out like musical chairs.
This is a hard questions. The fact is the standard in most disciplines is shockingly low with limited competence the same is true with designers unfortunately. Then it's hard if its not your discipline to choose a good one. Q: What do they call the guy that finished last at medical school. A: Doctor. But would you want him to be your Doctor?!? Caveat Emptor
Apart form my own artwork I would have to say, The building I live in Veer Towers Las Vegas, R1 Yamaha, Airpods, my first product La Bomba, Boxabl and my fifth would be a rotating selection.
keep your ego in check. Your ego is a wonderful thing but keep it in check. Go above and beyond, work harder than the next guy, become indispensable to your employer as quickly as you can, work collaboratively, if someone has a better idea instantly change your position to theirs and move one, don't be an asshole and finally never ever ever give up.