Creative Design and Innovation

Using many real-world examples and cases, this book identifies key factors and processes that have contributed to the creation of successful new products, buildings, and innovations, or resulted in some failures. Such factors include the creativity of individuals and groups, their sources of inspiration, the processes of creative design and innovation, and the characteristics of the products, buildings, and innovations themselves. Much has been written about creativity and innovation, but what helps to foster creativity, enable creative ideas to be translated into practical designs, and ensure those new products or buildings succeed as innovations on the market or in use? This book discusses these elements through the author's origination and analysis of examples and case studies ranging from the revolutionary innovation of the smartphone, through radical innovations in domestic appliances and sustainable housing, to creative designs of contemporary jewellery. The broad range of examples and cases include product and fashion design, filmmaking and fine art, as well as industrial design, engineering, and architecture, offering lessons for creatives, designers, and innovators from many subject backgrounds. Analysis of the different factors, successes, and failures are presented in text boxes throughout the book to allow readers to easily understand the key lessons from each example or case, with numerous colour visuals, diagrams, and charts for illustration. This book is a must-read for a broad audience interested in creativity, design, and innovation, including practitioners in design, engineering, architecture, and product management, and students and instructors of those subjects.

Robin Roy has a BSc in Mechanical Engineering and an MSc and a PhD in Design Technology from the University of Manchester. After engineering apprenticeships in the UK and Sweden, and a short period of teaching in the USA, he joined the Open University in 1971 as one of the first lecturers in Design. At the OU he has contributed to many courses and led many research projects on design, innovation, and the environment, and in 1999 was awarded a personal chair in Design and Environment. After retiring in 2012 as one of the longest serving OU academics he became an Emeritus Professor and is still active in teaching, writing, and research.

1. Creativity, design, and innovation: Introduction and framework 2. Creativity and innovation in engineering, design, architecture, arts, and media 3. Revolutionary innovation: The smartphone 4. Radical product and building innovations 5. Major product and building innovations 6. Innovative products and buildings 7. Creative product designs 8. Guidelines for successful creative design and innovation