Making

Making Connections: The Nature, Role and Future of Design – Making

Research Theme Lead: Professor Bruce Montgomery (London)
Deputy Research Theme Lead: Dr. Jayne Wallace (Newcastle)

The increasing availability of new materials has resulted in a plethora of new products whilst simultaneously raising a number of new challenges including:

How can we ensure products live up to designers’ expectations if we don’t advance the knowledge of making alongside the knowledge of materials?

If manufacturing goes off-shore how do we ensure our initial ideas are realised to our satisfaction?  

If we lose touch with making, how do we ensure that we don’t lose the invaluable skills that are costly and difficult to re-teach?

In the current economic climate, how can making provide an important life-line for businesses?

The initial current agenda for this theme includes:

- Quality, craftsmanship, individuality, pride
- Tacit practices of designer-makers
- Skill development and the impact of digital technologies
- Design evolution through making
- Meticulous attention to detail
- Role of touch in design and consumption, what makes things feel good?
- New luxury, materials, on-shoring manufacture