The Tool Trap
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“What pen did you use?”
“What paper do you sketch that on?”
“What rendering software is that?”
Have you ever been asked questions like these about your design work before?
Or have you asked similar questions about other people’s work?
I definitely have. Especially earlier in my career when I was less confident in my skills. I can’t tell you how many types of pens I’ve experimented with to try to sketch like Spencer Nugent (I still can’t).
The underlying thought behind the questions above is usually, “If only I used the same tools, I could create something just as good”.
This is The Tool Trap.
The Tool Trap is so appealing to designers and creatives because it seems to offer a shortcut. It promises that as long as we can purchase or find the right thing, we’ll be able to do amazing creative work. Makers of creative tools are keenly aware of this and often exploit it in order to sell you more stuff.
But I think in the back of our minds we know that it’s not true.
Of course, tools do matter. I’m not going to argue that Da Vinci could have painted the Mona Lisa with finger paints. Our creative tools inherently have an impact on the outcome. Some tools by their nature nudge you towards certain workflows that will make a mark on your work.
As our tools get more advanced, they also start to converge in their scope of capabilities and the range of possible outcomes grows infinitely wider. For example, given any modern professional CAD and rendering software, it’s likely possible to recreate any design or image you see online. But simply having the tools won’t get you there. Even with highly advanced AI design tools that are blowing our minds these days, it’s all about how you use them.
As you grow in experience and confidence with your creative work, you’ll start to see more clearly what you probably already knew deep down: it’s not the tools that make the master.
The difference between an amateur and someone that is truly skilled at their craft is that the master sees their tools as a means to an end, and their focus is on the intent and the process of getting there. An amateur sees tools as ends in themselves. They try one, and if it doesn’t get them the outcome, they try the next one.
As designers, we have so many tools available to us these days. And that makes it easy to fall into The Tool Trap because there’s always a potentially “better” one. The availability and advancement of these tools is also a great boon for creatives. Almost anyone can make amazing creative work with the tools at our disposal, some of which are totally free (Blender!). The tools used by top professionals and amateurs are increasingly the same ones.
With all these options, we need to be conscious of the Tool Trap and focus on what really matters: our intent, our process, and the outcomes. Think of your tools as ways to express your creativity, and not as the thing that inevitably produces the outcome.
Have you fallen into The Tool Trap lately? I definitely have. Hit reply or leave a comment and let me know about a time that you either fell prey to it or avoided it.
Have a great week!
Design Things of The Week
📺 Video Series - AI for Industrial Design
A really well-produced series of videos on how AI tools like MidJourney can be practically used in an industrial design process. Very applicable instructions on image seeding and prompting. Made by students at the National University of Singapore and directed by Singapore-based designer and educator Donn Koh. I’ve put the first video below, but would encourage you to watch the whole series!
Just the Industrial Design Jobs - 39 Full-Time, 4 Internships
“Just the Industrial Design Jobs” is a segment of this newsletter that lists only industrial design jobs that were posted within the last week to various job board websites. US based only for now for my sanity (sorry!).
Please let me know if you find this useful, and if it is I encourage you to share or forward it onto your industrial design friends.
DePaul University - Adjunct Faculty in Industrial Design
Chicago IL
Education
5 years experience minimum
$30.00 - $41.50 an hour
DePaul University - Assistant Professor of Industrial Design (Tenure-Track) (23-24)
Chicago IL
Education
2 years experience minimum
Kodo Kids - Product Design Lead (Woodworking)
Broomfield CO
Education
5 years experience minimum
$60,000 - $80,000 a year
Ford Motor Company - Industrial Design Lead
Dearborn MI
Automotive
5 years experience minimum
Harman International - Senior Industrial Designer
Novi MI
Automotive
5 years experience minimum
Whipsaw - 3D Product Visualization Designer
San Francisco CA
3D visualization
5-7 years experience minimum
Corradi USA Inc - Industrial Designer
Carrollton TX
Outdoor products
5-10 years experience minimum
Arthrex - Industrial Designer - Principal
Naples FL
Medical
12 years experience minimum
Delta Power Equipment Corporation - Industrial Designer
Spartanburg SC
Tools
1-3 years experience minimum
Nike - Footwear Technical Developer II, North America – Global Express Lane
Beaverton OR
Footwear
3 years experience minimum
MSA Safety - Industrial Designer
Cranberry Township PA
Equipment
3 years experience minimum
$70,000 - $80,000 a year
HEB - Associate Product Development & Design Manager (General Merchandise)
San Antonio TX
Durable goods
2-5 years experience minimum
Branex Group - Clay/Digital Modeler
North Hollywood CA
Automotive
10 years experience minimum
$53 an hour
Branex Group - Automotive Modeler
North Hollywood CA
Automotive
10 years experience minimum
$53 an hour
BAXTER - Sr. Principal UX Designer - Industrial Design (Hybrid)
Skaneateles Falls NY
Medical
7 years experience minimum
$80,000 - $180,000 a year
ASICS - Sportstyle Designer, Global Color
Boston MA
Footwear
3-7 years experience minimum
Esdec - Industrial Designer
Phoenix AZ
Equipment
3 years experience minimum
$80,000 - $100,000 a year
The Toro Company - Industrial Designer II/III - The Toro Company
Bloomington MN
Equipment
2-4 for Industrial Designer II and 4-7 for Industrial Designer III years experience minimum
Eaton Corporation - Senior Industrial Designer
Moon PA
Equipment
5 years experience minimum
$95,247 - $139,696 a year
General Motors - Entry Level Industrial Designer
Warren MI
Automotive
0 years experience minimum
Viking Range LLC - Staff Industrial Designer
Greenwood MS
Appliances
3-5 years experience minimum
Supernal - Industrial Designer, Interiors
Irvine CA
Aerospace
3 years experience minimum
$133,120 - $186,160 a year
Ride Aventon - Industrial Designer
Brea CA
Transportation
3 years experience minimum
$80,000 - $100,000 a year
Schylling - Design Lead/Toy Designer
Toys
8 years experience minimum
KiwiCo - Industrial Designer
Mountain View CA
Toys
2-5 years experience minimum
Super Color Digital, LLC - Industrial Designer
Irvine CA
Signage
2 years experience minimum
$80,000 - $90,000 a year
General Motors - Entry Level Transportation Designer
Warren MI
Automotive
0 years experience minimum
Array Marketing - Industrial Designer
New York NY
Retail displays
2 years experience minimum
JANSON - Industrial Designer
Atlanta GA
Retail displays
5 years experience minimum
$70,000 - $75,000 a year
Implus - Packaging Design Specialist
Remote
Packaging
3-5 years experience minimum
Allsop, Inc. - Industrial Designer
Bellingham WA
Office products
4 years experience minimum
$20 - $30 an hour
WAC Lighting - Lighting Project Manager
Port Washington NY
Lighting
10 years experience minimum
Cirkul Inc - Industrial Designer
Watertown MA
Equipment
2 years experience minimum
Bridgewater Studios Inc - Concept Designer
Chicago IL
Custom fabrication
3 years experience minimum
Ovyl - Lead Industrial Designer
Nashville TN
Consulting
10 years experience minimum
$105,000 - $130,000 a year
Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation - Senior 3D Designer
Beverly Hills, CA
Aerospace
8 years experience minimum
Lockheed Martin - Industrial Designer
Fort Worth TX
Aerospace
2 years experience minimum
Industrial Craft - Senior Industrial Designer
San Francisco CA
Consulting
5 years experience minimum
Nicosia Creative Expresso Ltd. - NiCE Ltd. - Junior to Mid-level Industrial Designer
New York NY
Consulting
1-5 years experience minimum
Genesco Inc - Product Design Intern - Johnston & Murphy
Nashville TN
Footwear
0 years experience minimum
Stanley Black & Decker - Intern Product Designer, Engineering
Valley City OH
Tools
0 years experience minimum
Schneider Electric - Industrial Design Intern
Franklin TN
Equipment
0 years experience minimum
SPARKS MARKETING LLC - 3D Design Creative Intern
New York NY
Environment design
0 years experience minimum