Hasta La Ideas

In Core77’s 2015 Tech-tacular—launching today!—we’ll be reviewing some of the latest software offerings for industrial designers, as well as considering the wider implications of wearables, autonomous automobiles, so-called Smart Cities and other big-picture design-tech developments.

But we also wanted to know what kinds of digital tools contemporary designers are actually using on a day-to-day basis. So we got in touch with ten designers from different industries, and asked them each a batch of questions about their computer setups, most-used software, favorite apps, biggest tech gripes and related issues. 

We intentionally cast a wide net, interviewing designers who work on a variety of different kinds of products—from consumer electronics to experimental architecture, home furnishings to some very large pickup trucks. We hope that the resulting interviews provide a window into how designers are incorporating new digital tools into their workflows—very often, in tandem with tried-and-true analog tools—and that readers come away from the series with some ideas for novel software solutions or tech workarounds to integrate into their own practices.

The first of our interviews—with Thomas Murray, a senior industrial designer at Bresslergroup—is now live, and we’ll be posting a new one each weekday morning for the next two weeks. So check back, and be sure to weigh in with your own tech-related wishes and gripes in the comments.

Photo: the desk of Paul Hoppe, art director at New York’s Local Projects. Check back tomorrow for our interview with Hoppe.

This article is part of the Core77 Tech-tacular, an editorial series exploring the myriad ways that technologies are shaping the future of design.