Nineteenth International Conference on Design Principles & Practices

Abstract

This study examines the emerging phenomenon of designer-created materials. In recent decades, an increasing number of designers have been shifting their focus towards materials. This shift involves a gradual transition from passive applications of existing materials, through their modifications to active creations of new materials. Thus, the role of materials in the design process has evolved from being a means to an end into becoming an end in themselves. The study explores the phenomenon of material design, wherein materials are created in accordance with the principles of the design process and with the use of design methods. It offers a new definition of material design, along with its key distinguishing factors, which are derived from the overlapping characteristics of engineering and design disciplines. This definition places a specific emphasis on materials engineering and product design. The presented theses are based on analytical studies of existing definitions supported with in-depth interviews with designers engaged in the creation of materials. The study aims to broaden and enhance the understanding of the relationship between designers and materials, which has so far been attempted to be delineated through two terms: material-driven design and material-based design, neither of which involves the act of creation of materials.