Many mistakenly assume that good object design fails due to poor implementation, be it weak sketching, bad modeling, or insufficient skill. Actually, most ideas die way earlier, before they even become designs.
The reason is really quite simple: the concept was unrealistic to begin with.
Object design has to do with limits. Size, materials, cost, functionality, manufacturing processes, you name it. The problem with inexperienced students is that they often ignore these limits and focus only on imagination. And while their work might sound interesting to you, you also must be able to say, “This is impossible.”
Sometimes it’s also that the concept has no clear purpose. Can you answer the question: Why should the object be there? If you can’t answer this with precision, it means you do not really have a clear direction. Great products are always designed to address a problem or an experience.
Other times, it’s the issue of too many concepts. If your object is meant to perform too many tasks at the same time and you are just adding different functions to it, then the object becomes very difficult to understand. In most cases, simple is better than complicated. And one clear function, well executed, is more valuable than many unclear ones.
Also, it is often the idea of early visuals. Students have a tendency to start drawing as quickly as possible. While there are many students who are good at drawing quickly and efficiently, what matters in product design is understanding things first and starting to work on visuals only when the structure of the idea is fully defined. The sketch is not there to replace your understanding of a certain problem, but rather, to reflect your understanding.
Another issue is often the lack of context. Objects do not exist in vacuum. Every product is used somewhere, by someone, in a specific situation. Without an understanding of context, the idea can sound interesting but it can still fail.
And sometimes, the idea just needs a little self-evaluation. Before designing anything, ask: Can this actually be built? Who would use it? Why would they need it?
At ObjectDesignFlow, students learn to evaluate ideas and concepts before even starting to design something, always putting logic, structure and realistic usability as a priority.
Because in product design, the greatest concepts are not the most creative ones. They are the most possible ones.