The art of materials selection

Products achieve success through a combination of sound technical design and imaginative industrial design. The amalgam creates product character — the way material and processes are used to provide functionality, usability, and satisfaction in ownership. This last — satisfaction — is greatly influenced by the aesthetics, associations, and perceptions that the product carries, a combination that we shall refer to as product personality. The overall character of the product is a synthesis of its functionality, usability, and its personality. In this article we explore product personality and character, illustrating the ideas by analyzing a number of products, noting particularly how the choice of material and process has contributed.