INDUSTRIAL DESIGN

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 28975, 17 August 1959, Page 15

INDUSTRIAL DESIGN

More Research Urged

The stage of development has been reached when the products of New Zealand industry should be given the stimulus of systematic research into industrial design, says the annual report of the Department of Industries and Commerce.

“The diversification and growth of manufacturing industries in New Zealand, and the need to provide quality and variety for the domestic market, make it appropriate that more thought should now be given to good design in this country,” the report says. “If the products of New Zealand industry are to compete adequately with those of other countries, design must receive close attention. Good design carries with it other economic advantages—an increased standardisation of comnonents and products: and simplification and refinement which, on the one hand, make for greater economies in production and. on the other, for greater consumer satisfaction.

“A handicap to the application of improved standards of industrial design in New Zealand is the number of products made by subsidiaries of. or under licence to. overseas manufacturers.” the renort says. “Designs which originate outside 'the country are not always best adapted to New Zealand needs or to its productive capacity. Opportunities “There are growing opportunities for the application of good design in the fields of consumer durables, plastics, ceramics, textiles. clothing, footwear, machinery, and electrical equipment. With many of these products it would be possible and desirable to establish a New Zealand design. “An institute of design could synthesise the experience and knowledge of manufacturers, research institutes, and designers, to the profit of particular manufacturers and of the economy as a whole,’’ says the" report. “Such an institute could not only assist in improving existing products, but would be a valuable source of information and advice in planning new ones. It could also foster the appreciation of good design in the community and promote the training of designers for industry In an age when technical skill is of such importance, the function of good design in unifying the qualities of utility, durability, harmony, and balance is an important factor in development. “The time is surely ripe for manufacturers to consider the establishment of a suitable entity for the promotion of design in industry,” says the report.