From the idea to the product
Production and product development
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The Design, Arts and Crafts programme addresses the entire process from the idea to the production of the product or service.
Most ideas arise because someone has a need for a product or a service. You need a chair, for example, while someone else needs to have a watch repaired, someone else needs a haircut and someone else wants a new folk costume.
The customer comes to the craftsman and orders what he or she wants. Of course there are big differences in the time it takes to plan the design. For example, you spend less time planning a haircut than planning the construction of a new church organ. But in principle, the same procedure is followed in every case.
Fashions and trends are constantly changing. New fashions and new designs mean that customers feel a need for renewal and change. Examples of this are hairdos and clothes. The craftsmen who are best at design will get the best commissions.
A production process involves:
• development of an idea
• choice and description of the work to be carried out
• planning the production
• the production itself
The choice of model, materials, form, colours, decoration, techniques and tools is decisive in the product’s final design.
You must make sketches of the product. These sketches must show what kind of form and decoration the product will have, and which colours have been chosen.
Then a production plan must be made. Are you making several copies of the same product, or only one?
During the entire production process, you must keep track of the development of the product. Is it good enough, or could it be better?
If the work was commissioned by a customer, he or she should be contacted during the process in order to assess the work. If you are going to sell the product, you should check whether there is a need for the product before initiating the production process.
It is important to set the correct price for the product or service. There is great competition from mass-produced products and imports from low-cost countries. In many cases this can exert pressure on the craftsman to set too low a price for his or her products. If the product is too expensive it can be difficult to find a buyer. If the price is too low, the craftsman cannot earn a living. Some products are obviously handcrafted, and can thus not be mistaken for mass-produced products. In these cases it is easier to set a price that both the customer and the craftsman can live with.