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Additive vs. Subtractive Manufacturing and its Implications for Design Thinking

Additive vs. Subtractive Manufacturing and its Implications for Design Thinking

Before any great product idea can be launched, an important question must be asked: how can this product be made? Designing in such a way that your product can be cheaply and efficiently produced by well-established methods is a sure way to improve a product’s chance of success in the marketplace, and with incredible innovations in additive manufacturing, exotic materials, and more, the realm of what’s possible continues to expand.

To fully embrace the possibilities of additive manufacturing in addition to the traditional methods of subtractive manufacturing, new ways of thinking are needed at every step of the design process. The fundamental difference between these two processes is that additive manufacturing creates products through the addition of base materials layer by layer, whereas subtractive manufacturing creates products by removing parts of a material, generating waste material in the process. Due to the nature of both methods, the mediums that a designer can use, as well as the speed and efficiency of product are vastly different between the two processes.

The legacy of subtractive design is evident in the fundamental tools of design, most notably in the computer-aided design (CAD) programs we use to give products their shape and form. The language of these programs are spoken in terms of cuts and extrudes, revolutions and sweeps; terms that align with subtractive manufacturing techniques. With the incredible ability of additive manufacturing to capture complexity and smooth forms, the field of product design has begun to adopt the terminology traditionally used by modeling programs, the language of meshes, sculpting, and supports.

Not only do new methods of manufacture change the ways we can make and improve existing products, but they also change the very ideas we have about what products can be, and open doors to product designs that not too long ago would remain trapped in the realm of the impossible.

Design Interface Inc. can show you what is possible. Our forward-thinking solutions for product design, package design, medical device design, graphic design and photography unlock the value of your ideas as we communicate your message and goals. See more here: https://designinterface.com/

New Coworker Jake

New Coworker Jake

Hello, my name is Jacob, and I’m all about product design. Everyday I strive to put my skills to use in creating sustainable products that help make the world a better place. It’s my pleasure to work with the professionals at Design Interface Inc. as an Industrial Designer, and to continue their legacy of product design excellence.

I specialize in mechanical and biomimetic products, drawing from my background in both design and engineering. (Visit https://jsv-design.com/ for a look at some of my work) I’ve worked for some time as a Freelance Industrial Designer, and have joined Design Interface to take my work to the next level, and to learn invaluable lessons as part of a consulting design studio.

Design Interface Inc. can show you what is possible. Our forward-thinking solutions for product design, package design, medical device design, graphic design and photography unlock the value of your ideas as we communicate your message and goals. See more here:  https://designinterface.com/

The Death of Type 1 Fonts

The Death of Type 1 Fonts

Fonts are a basic staple of designers and are used for both print and online publication. Things are about to change in 2023 as Adobe ends support for Type 1 fonts which have been around since the late 1980s. The good news is the more versatile TrueType Fonts (TTF) and OpenType Fonts (OTF) are still acceptable. This could become a headache as designers will have to replace older fonts with newer ones, but the advantages are many as the modern fonts, especially OTF, have useful features that extend a typeface’s range. For example, designers have the ability to add ligatures, glyphs, small caps, and alternate characters to name a few. Type 1 data embedded in file types such as EPS and PDF will be unaffected by this change, as long as they are placed for display or printing as graphic elements. If those files are opened for editing in applications such as Illustrator or Photoshop, they will trigger a “Missing fonts” error. 

Design Interface Inc. can show you what is possible. Our forward-thinking solutions for product design, package design, medical device design, graphic design and photography unlock the value of your ideas as we communicate your message and goals. See more here:  https://designinterface.com/

How to Create an Automation Droplet in Adobe Photoshop

How to Create an Automation Droplet in Adobe Photoshop

Have a ton of photos or files to resize or do the same repetitive actions to? You need a Photoshop droplet! The powerful function of the Droplet in Photoshop saves tremendous time when you are dealing with a lot of pictures that need adjustments, and you don’t want to make the same adjustments over and over again one picture at a time.

The Droplet is an exe file that produced in Photoshop to simplified the process of actions function. It is created to be used over and over again. The way to do that is after you generate the Droplet file you then simply drag and drop all the necessary pictures you want to adjust onto the Droplet file, and the Droplet will do the rest. It will automatically open, edit, save and close one by one all of your pictures. Learn how to create one in this video! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h99QLmLAH8E.

Design Interface Inc. can show you what is possible. Our forward-thinking solutions for product design, package design, medical device design, graphic design and photography unlock the value of your ideas as we communicate your message and goals. See more here:  https://designinterface.com/

Ohio Regional Urban Sketchers Summit

Ohio Regional Urban Sketchers Summit

Grab your art supplies and explore downtown Columbus as an urban sketcher!

Hosted by four Ohio USk chapters, the one-day Summit will feature workshops from six world-class instructors. There will also be opportunities for participants to practice and hone their urban sketching skills.
All skill levels and media are welcome. Participants must provide their own materials.

Summit Schedule: Saturday, August 13, 2022 Columbus, OH
Registration, 9:00-9:30
Keynote Address, 9:30-9:50
Session 1, 10:00-12:00 (choose one workshop)
Lunch and Practice, 12:00-1:00
Session 2, 1:00-3:00 (choose one workshop)
Summit Wrap-up, 3:00
Continued Practice, 3:00-5:00

Instructors & Workshops
Amy Bogard, Quick Captures for Beginners
Yuki Hall, Expressive Urban Sketching
Kay Bea Jones, Artists Have Perspective: Tools for Conveying Space
David Rankin, Sketching Better & Faster Using a 9B Woodless Graphite Pencil & Blender
Jeff Suntala, Sketching People and Cars
Terry Welker, Composition Techniques

Register Here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ohio-regional-urban-sketchers-summit-tickets-359062023177Event Website: https://ohiousksummit.blogspot.com/

Design Interface Inc. can show you what is possible. Our forward-thinking solutions for product design, package design, medical device design, graphic design and photography unlock the value of your ideas as we communicate your message and goals. See more here:  https://designinterface.com/

Want design inspiration on vacation? Visit a car museum!

Want design inspiration on vacation? Visit a car museum!

Haynes Motor Museum in Yeovil, England was a great side trip for design ideas. It houses 400 vehicles, the UK’s biggest exhibition of cars and motorbikes dating from 1900 to today. Car enthusiasts might know the HAYNES manuals for repairing autos. John Harold Haynes started it at age 16 when he illustrated a simple how-to-manual for repairing his Austin 7, which then grew to include the Austin Healey Sprite. The enterprise became a publishing powerhouse that continues today. Many Haynes Manuals bear a cover illustration of a cutaway view technical drawing of the vehicle, hand-drawn by Terry Davey. A good reminder for many us of the good old days before CAD when everything was hand drawn. BTW: Fun surprise…Stonehenge not far down the road. ~Carla

Photos: Morris Mini-Cooper from 1965, a tiny car at 10′ long, 4.5′ wide and 4.4′ high.
Terry Davey, the man with the xray eyes at work.

Design Interface Inc. can show you what is possible. Our forward-thinking solutions for product design, package design, medical device design, graphic design and photography unlock the value of your ideas as we communicate your message and goals. See more here:  https://designinterface.com/

Change Ordinary Skies to Extraordinary Using Photoshop

Change Ordinary Skies to Extraordinary Using Photoshop

Although this feature has been around a couple of years, not many people know about it. Have you ever taken an outdoor photo, but the sky is disappointing? Well with a few clicks, you can choose from several optional replacement skies to instantly improve it. Presets included with the tool are categorized as blue skies, sunsets, storms, night, and spectacular. You can also import your own sky image or download more for free skies from Adobe’s website. Get creative!

Image from Adobe.com

Design Interface Inc. can show you what is possible. Our forward-thinking solutions for product design, package design, medical device design, graphic design and photography unlock the value of your ideas as we communicate your message and goals. See more here: https://designinterface.com/

CIA 2022 Spring Design Show In-Person

CIA 2022 Spring Design Show In-Person

April 19 through April 22 2022

Exhibition Hours:
 Wednesday through Friday, 9am–5pm
Where: Cleveland Institute of Art, Design Studios, 2nd floor, 11610 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44106

View and celebrate the latest work by our CIA students studying Industrial Design, Graphic Design, Interior Architecture and Transportation Design. These shows originated as a way for employers to scout talent, and have evolved into a crowd-pleasing exhibition that showcases innovation in design thinking.

COVID Visitor Policy
For the safety of the community, guests to CIA are required to mask and present proof of vaccination, and will take a brief health screening upon entering the building.

Design Interface Inc. can show you what is possible. Our forward-thinking solutions for product design, package design, medical device design, graphic design and photography unlock the value of your ideas as we communicate your message and goals. See more here:  https://designinterface.com/

Try out this Box Die Cut Generator

Try out this Box Die Cut Generator

Here’s a great resource worth trying for packaging. It’s a custom dieline generator. Choose your material, enter the dimensions, then download professionally designed error-free dielines. You can also create and share 3D mock-ups. Purchase is simple with credits, 1 credit ($7.20) per dieline.

The steps include: choose your style of box, choose a material thickness and enter the dimensions. A vector file is generated for download. Here at Design Interface we print the dieline full size on our inkjet printer, then spray mount it to corrugated, cut it out and “voila” instant box. It saves us so much time!

https://www.diecuttemplates.com/

Design Interface Inc. can show you what is possible. Our forward-thinking solutions for product design, package design, medical device design, graphic design and photography unlock the value of your ideas as we communicate your message and goals. See more here:  https://designinterface.com/

5 Reasons To Hire A Design Studio

5 Reasons To Hire A Design Studio

Let our design professionals show you amazing possibilities, fresh ideas. At Design Interface, we think ahead. We design for the future.

1. We have a staff of expert, forward-thinking designers.

2. We can save you time.

3. We work within your budget.

4. We have access to a wealth of creative resources: talent, technology and know-how.

5. We are reliable. You can count on us. Period.

We unlock the value of your ideas. Our solutions for product design, graphic design, medical device design, and photography communicate your message, your brand, your image.

Design Interface Inc. can show you what is possible. Our forward-thinking solutions for product design, package design, medical device design, graphic design and photography unlock the value of your ideas as we communicate your message and goals. See more here: https://designinterface.com/

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