What Do Creators and Product Designers Have in Common?

Oct 19

2 min read

Both start with an idea and take it through a creative process. That was the question at the heart of my talk "Von der Idee zum Produkt" at the FLOW Talentempfang at IKONIC Studios in Berlin. As a CMF and innovation designer, I work on how products feel: their colors, materials and finishes. And I believe we learn the most from each other when we look beyond our own discipline.

New ideas grow where perspectives meet

Creative processes are rarely linear. A design process starts long before the project: we observe people, culture and change, and collect perspectives from very different worlds, from needs and trends to art, technology and materials. Slowly, patterns appear and we start to connect them. But not every idea can survive. We filter: What is relevant and truly moves people? What is feasible within time and budget? Only then do we commit to a direction.

Every idea needs its own path

Some questions are answered in short sprints: a clear question, an open solution, fast learning. Others are a long-distance run with a defined goal and many planned steps: a new color for a series product can take years from trend to production.

Make ideas visible early

An idea that only exists in your head is one nobody else can understand. That is why we make it visible as early as possible, long before it is finished. Each prototype answers a different question: a simple model shows how it could look, a proof of concept shows whether it works, and an experience prototype shows how it feels. Sometimes a lounge chair is the best reference for how comfort should feel. And the earlier we test, the easier it is to change course: later in a project, every decision creates new dependencies.

The vision stays, the solution can change

On the way to a product, compromises are part of the job. What matters is knowing what is core and what is flexible. What can I not let go of? What holds my idea together? And where am I free to look for different solutions? The specific colors, materials and finishes can change, as long as the feeling stays.