Industrial Designers need to understand the implications of the materials they specify in products intended for
manufacture. In order to equip students to be more conscious about the materials utilised and the environmental
impacts of these materials, the department of Industrial Design at the University of Johannesburg has incorporated
experimental material development into its Design Practice curriculum. This paper present a current annual project
undertaken where final year students are tasked with developing their own material composites which are used in
the signing and making of a product which they develop. This has been undertaken for two years, where the outcomes
of the projects have proved to be extremely valuable for the students. An overview of the project composition
and examples of student projects are presented, with recommendations for other design schools to attempt a similar
approach.

Author: Martin Bolton