What are designers thinking about when they do design?
How do they observe and think?
What are the guidelines for their actions and work?
Here's designer thinking, approaching designers and understanding how design thinking is created.
Here are designers looking at trends, absorbing cutting-edge information in the industry like a sponge, accumulating creative inspiration, and creating their own idea bank.
Designer Liu Lu & The 2nd International New Materials Exhibition in 2023 and the Global New Materials Ecological Conference at the same time
The exhibition showcased cutting-edge technologies and products in the field of new materials around popular applications such as new energy, automobiles, home appliances, home furnishings, smart hardware, consumer electronics, and medical devices, and also indicated the development direction of the new material industry in the future.
Designer Liu Lu summarized the overview of the exhibition and the harvest of the exhibitionColor, material, processThree parts to share with you.
Color
1.WGSN 2024 25cmf trend
WGSN is a cutting-edge consumer trendsetter that is at the forefront of change with a focus on rigorousness, global expert insights, exclusive data resources, analytical tools, and cross-industry backgrounds to unfold on consumer, lifestyle, and product design trends. WGSN shows us the CMF trends from 2024 to 2025**, which mainly includes three main aspects:
Endless fantasy, the endless fantasy of the image and digital world brought by artificial intelligence and the metaverse, mainly focuses on some trends such as the metaverse and AI. Uninhabited planets, reflections on the earth and space, nature and synthesis, ** earth nature or other planets. Diversity fusion, advocating self-expression and community values, more inclusive, rich, and individualized multiple upheavals, is mainly aimed at the values of young people today, advocating personalized choices and more inclusive, diverse and open methods. 
WGSN 2425AWCMF Material Aesthetics.
2.Raul RAL 2023+ Color Trends
Raul RAL Color has become synonymous with the manufacturer-independent global color system and color classification system in the eyes of professional color designers. Raul unveiled the "2023+ Color Trends" at the show, bringing together 15 shades to convey the concept of environmental protection with the help of these moody colors, which can be applied to all design fields in 2023 and beyond, serving planet-centric design.
The ral2023+ color trend focuses on the application and collocation of colors, emphasizing respect and protection of the environment, drawing inspiration from nature, and serving earth-centric design, including the harmonious coexistence of nature and digital, the protection of nature, and resource conservation. It also encourages a more personal and imaginative approach to design, using color trends to convey warmth and relieve anxiety.
Raul 2023+ Color Trends.
Materials
1.No spray-free plastic
Plastic manufacturers add high-gloss powder, pearlescent powder, metal powder, ceramic powder, etc. to specific resins (such as PP, ABS, AS, PC, etc.) through melt blending, which are modified by compatibility and processed into different plastic parts by injection molding, extrusion or blow molding. These parts come with a variety of "beautiful" appearance effects such as metal, dazzling color, and ceramic, and no more spraying treatment.
Advantages:Less process, high efficiency;No paint peeling;Cost reduction of 20%-50%;Green and environmentally friendly, low VOC.
Applications:Automobile, consumer, home appliances, etc., the application has been relatively mature.
CMF is easy to listen to and understand.
2.Silicone leather
The specially treated silicone raw material forms a film or coating on the textured paper (specialty paper), which is then adhered to cloth or other substrate materials, with a touch between silicone and leather.
Advantages:Compared with traditional PU leather, it is more environmentally friendly, and has good performance and is easy to cleanIt is an important design support for "five senses design", and it is also an opportunity and focus for products to get in close contact with people.
Applications:Smart cockpits and transportation, consumer electronics, medical devices, and home environments. If you have a strong sense of mechanics and futurism, you can try to apply related products.
3.All-water-based microfiber microfiber leather
The raw material polyacetate is fused with the masterbatch, and the colored filament (microfiber) is produced after high-temperature melt spinning, which replaces the printing and dyeing coloring process, reduces the generation of traditional printing and dyeing sewage from the source, and achieves higher performance light aging resistance and high color fastness.
Advantages:Wear-resistant, not easy to fade, delicate texture, uniform and full color, no peculiar smell, very low VOC.
Applications:Automotive interiors, home apparel, shoes and bags, electronic packaging, etc.
Duration 00:05
4.coatings
Coating is a way to improve or protect the surface of a product, and after spraying, it forms a film on the surface. The types of coatings are water-based, oil-based, powder-based, and specialty coatings (antibacterial, non-reflective, haptile). Influenced by the concept of environmental protection, many coating products have begun to focus on the selection of ingredients.
Advantages:High brightness, high fineness, low pollution.
Applications:Automobiles, home appliances, mobile devices, etc.
CMF is easy to listen to and understand.
5.Luminescent fibers
It is the first to weave intelligent light-emitting fibers, and a new electronic fiber product obtained by combining light-emitting technology and fiber preparation technology. The AC power supply only needs to be connected to one end of the light-emitting fiber, and the alternating current field generated by it can promote the electron beating of the light-emitting medium in the fiber, so as to release energy to make the fiber produce luminescence.
Advantages:The product shines evenly, is flexible and can be weaved, green and safe, and has low energy consumption.
Applications:Automotive interiors, smart clothing, information electronics, medical treatment, etc.
Duration: 00:21
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6.Magnetic inks
Magnetron ink is a special type of ink, which contains tiny magnetic particles, and special printing technology and equipment are required to ensure the correct transmission of magnetic features when used, these inks have a specific reaction to the magnetic field, and the magnetic properties can be read by special equipment to achieve the design effect desired by the designer.
Advantages:Dynamic and colorful visuals.
Applications:consumer electronics, etc
***。
Craftsmanship
1.Laser textures
Laser texturing is a process that uses a high-energy laser beam to precisely change the surface structure of the mold to form a specific pattern or texture, and then replicate these texture effects on plastic and metal parts.
Advantages:High precision, strong repeatability, flexible and changeable, some ultra-fine and complex laser textures can achieve the "colorful black" that designers dream of because of the influence of optics.
Applications:Mobile phones, car interiors, etc.
2. imd
In-film injection molding is a general surface decoration technology, which is divided into three steps: surface hardening transparent film, intermediate printing pattern, and back injection molding. IMD has led to many other similar processes, such as IML IMT IME IMF, which integrate different decorative or functional diaphragms into the injection molding process during the manufacturing process.
Advantages:Scratch and wear-resistant, no paint loss, reduce screen printing or spraying steps in the later stage, and environmental protection.
Applications:Automobiles, home appliances, consumer electronics, medical electronics, etc.
CMF is easy to listen to and understand.
3.Transfer
Water transfer printing transfers the pattern to the surface of the object by dissolving the transfer paper in water, and the pattern can be evenly covered on the surface of the object of different shapes.
Advantages:Diverse and complex pattern designs, applicability of different shapes and sizes, good expression, and strong durability.
Applications:Personalized fashion products, consumer electronics, etc.
CMF is easy to listen to and understand.
4.logo electroforming
Electroforming is a precision metal forming process that uses electrolytic deposition to form metal parts on a mold. Electroformed nickel is often used in the appearance of logos.
Advantages:Ability to produce complexly shaped, dimensionally accurate parts with smooth surfaces and precise textures with crisp details.
Applications:3C consumer electronics, etc.
***。
Through the above sharing, it is not difficult to find that the concept of "green environmental protection" is still an important factor to consider in the current design process. In terms of colorIt is based on the harmony between man and nature, and extends the analysis of self and the exploration of the universe and digital technologyIn terms of material technologyReducing post-processing steps can be a more environmentally friendly and efficient way to do so, such as by coloring materials to give them an aesthetic effect at the time of molding, and these materials often have better durability as well.
In addition, in this new material exhibition, it can be found that various current crafts have high replaceability in the presentation of aesthetic effects, such as the effect of imitation wood grain and leather can be achieved through laser carving, and such cross-border applications have great potential.
Editors: Liu Lu, cm
Review: Kelly, WSI