Out of the Blu‪e‬ Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering

How do you know if an idea is good? Is it a hunch, a gut feeling? Or can you learn to systematically recognise good ideas and move them further to make them work? In this episode, we talk with Jeroen van Erp, Professor of Concept Design at TU Delft and founder of influential Dutch design agency Fabrique. About ad agencies, how to learn design, and plastic soup. You’re not allowed to leave the podcast without at least 10 new ideas!

There is no universal design. Everyday objects and services that work in some parts of the world, are totally different somewhere else. Annemiek van Boeijen, assistant-professor Design, Culture & Society, argues for design creativity, context and richness in her new book Culture Sensitive Design. We’re also joined by special guest Timo de Rijk, Director of the Design Museum in Den Bosch, to discuss culture, design history and the stupidity of efficiency.

Working from home provides us with a whole new set of challenges and opportunities. As designers, shouldn’t we be the best equipped people for this? In this final part of our special Freedive isolation series, Ianus chats with Joost Dommisse. He studies Integrated Product Design and they together talk about designing noise-cancelling windows, how to study design from a distance and wacky robotic giraffes.

References in this episode:
NY Times – No Knead Bread
Jimu Robot
Ze Frank – True Facts

How are you doing? A question we should ask ourselves and each other frequently in this isolation period. And we should listen carefully. In part two of our special three-part Freedive isolation series, Ianus chats with Sofie Dideriksen. She is part of the TU Delft Design for Interaction community Infuse, and they talk about design for mental health and student life in isolation.

Due to COVID-19, design students, lecturers and researchers are stuck at home. How are they coping? For part one of a special three-part Freedive series, we talk with Yongqing Fei, or Jackie as we know her. She has a lot of experiences with quarantines and tells about redesigning an oven from home and her story on moving from isolation in China to isolation in Delft.

References in this episode
Gary Hustwit – Oh you pretty things  
The Mask Dilemma
Black Mirror – Netflix

Material science is often a black box for designers. But in Delft Design, knowledge on material properties is essential. Erik Tempelman has literally written the book on it: “(Not) Safe for Designers”. He talks with Ianus Keller about the surprising journeys of material properties, how the Pixar character Anton Ego inspires him and explores the meaning of the Dutch word ‘stevig’.