Beyond Design, Inc.

Beyond Design, Inc. We create design solutions that help drive innovation for our clients and connect with end-users for marketplace success

For years, household products were designed primarily around function, with aesthetics often taking a secondary role.But...
09/10/2026

For years, household products were designed primarily around function, with aesthetics often taking a secondary role.

But that relationship has evolved.

As our homes have become more thoughtfully designed, so have the objects we choose to keep visible within them. A coffee machine, lamp, wall hook, or even a juicer can be both a functional object and something worth displaying.

Designers are increasingly thinking about form and function together. Proportion, materials, color, and controls aren’t just considered for how a product works, but for how it looks and feels within its surrounding environment.

The result of this is products that blur the line between utility and décor. Some become statement pieces. Others feel more like furniture or sculpture than traditional household equipment.

It’s an evolution from designing products that simply belong in a room to creating objects that can actually contribute to the character of the space.

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BMW has used industrial robots for decades, so why are they now experimenting with robots that look more like us?One rea...
09/08/2026

BMW has used industrial robots for decades, so why are they now experimenting with robots that look more like us?

One reason is flexibility.

Traditional industrial robots are incredibly precise, but they're typically built around specific tasks and fixed locations. Humanoid robots are being explored as something more adaptable. Machines that can move between tasks, manipulate different objects, and operate within production environments that were originally designed around people.

BMW's latest AEON robot combines a human-like upper body with wheels, allowing different hands, grippers, and scanning tools to be attached depending on the job.

It raises an interesting design question:

Instead of completely redesigning our environments for robots, could we design robots that are better suited to the world we've already built?

Intuitive design isn’t just about making products easier to use. In many situations, it can also make them safer.Think a...
09/03/2026

Intuitive design isn’t just about making products easier to use. In many situations, it can also make them safer.

Think about driving a car, operating a power tool, or using medical equipment. A physical button, dial, or switch can often be identified by its shape, position, or texture without the user needing to look directly at it. You can feel where it is and understand how to interact with it.

As more physical controls are replaced by touchscreens, some of those cues can disappear. A flat screen may require users to look away from what they’re doing, navigate through menus, or confirm where they’re touching.

Screens can offer flexibility, but physical controls remain valuable when actions need to be quick, reliable, or performed without looking.

Good intuitive design asks more than “Can the user figure this out?”

It also asks: “Can they use it quickly, confidently, and safely?”

Cars, appliances, gym equipment, and even refrigerators are replacing physical buttons and k***s with digital screens. B...
09/01/2026

Cars, appliances, gym equipment, and even refrigerators are replacing physical buttons and k***s with digital screens. But why?

Screens give designers more flexibility. One display can control multiple functions, interfaces can change depending on what the user is doing, and new features can be added through software updates. They can also help create a cleaner, more streamlined product.

But there’s a tradeoff. Physical controls provide tactile feedback that screens often can’t. You can feel a button click, turn a dial without looking, or instantly know the position of a switch.

The shift toward screens isn’t necessarily good or bad, it depends on how they’re used.

The real design challenge is figuring out when a screen improves the experience and when a physical control simply works better.

Are products designed for one hand?Some products are intentionally designed around a simple question: What if the user o...
08/27/2026

Are products designed for one hand?

Some products are intentionally designed around a simple question: What if the user only has one hand available?

That question can shape the entire product. Designers consider how it’s held, where the weight sits, how far the thumb can comfortably reach, where controls are placed, and how much force is needed to press, twist, open, or adjust something.

A great example is the bottle opener aid pictured here, designed by Beyond Design. Its form and textured grip help users securely hold and open a bottle with one hand.

The same thinking applies to phones, medical devices, tools, and everyday products. Features like textured grips, strategic control placement, balanced weight, and tactile feedback aren’t just aesthetic decisions, they come from studying how people actually use products.

Good one-handed design makes an interaction feel effortless, even though a lot of thought went into making it that way.

What Makes a Product Feel Expensive?It’s not always the price tag or the materials. Sometimes, it comes down to the smal...
08/25/2026

What Makes a Product Feel Expensive?

It’s not always the price tag or the materials. Sometimes, it comes down to the smallest details.

The weight and balance of a product, material choices, surface finishes, tight tolerances, and the way components fit together all influence how we perceive quality. Even the resistance of a button, the texture of a grip, or the smooth movement of a hinge can change the entire experience.

These decisions blend form, function, ergonomics, and manufacturing into one cohesive product.

In product design, “premium” isn’t always about adding more, it's about getting the little things right.

Wired earbuds are making a comeback and it might have less to do with nostalgia than you think. 🎧For years, audio produc...
08/20/2026

Wired earbuds are making a comeback and it might have less to do with nostalgia than you think. 🎧

For years, audio products moved toward wireless everything. Bluetooth, touch controls, charging cases, apps, and noise cancellation. But wired earbuds offer something increasingly rare: simplicity.

No pairing. No battery. No charging case. You plug them in and they work.

There’s also a design and ergonomics side to their comeback. Without batteries, sensors, and other internal components, wired earbuds can be smaller and lighter, putting less weight in the ear. Designers can focus more on fit, comfort, cord placement, and how the product feels during extended use.

There’s something refreshing about a product that does one thing well without asking much from the user. While wireless earbuds certainly have their advantages, the return of wired headphones raises an interesting question for designers: Does innovation always need more technology?

Sometimes improving an experience isn’t about adding another feature, screen, or connection.

Packaging is often the first interaction someone has with a product, but good packaging has to do a lot more than look g...
08/11/2026

Packaging is often the first interaction someone has with a product, but good packaging has to do a lot more than look good.

It has to protect the product through shipping, reduce damage and returns, create excitement when it arrives, and make the unboxing and setup process intuitive.

Then there’s what happens after the box is opened.

Can it be reused? Is it environmentally responsible? Can it be easily broken down and recycled without fighting with layers of plastic, foam, tape, and inserts?

That’s where structural package design becomes part of the overall product experience.

At Beyond Design, we think about the entire journey of a product, and packaging is an important part of that. The best packaging protects what’s inside while also considering the user, the brand, manufacturing, shipping, and what happens when the package has done its job.

Sometimes the box deserves just as much design thinking as the product inside.

What’s a product package that impressed you before you even used the product?

One of the biggest misconceptions about industrial design is that curved products are simple to design. In reality, thos...
08/06/2026

One of the biggest misconceptions about industrial design is that curved products are simple to design. In reality, those flowing surfaces can be some of the most difficult parts of a product to design and manufacture.

Every curve has to transition cleanly into the next. Even subtle inconsistencies can catch light in unexpected ways, making a product look uneven or lower in quality. Designers and engineers spend countless hours refining these surfaces until they appear effortless.

Then comes manufacturing.

Complex curves can require more sophisticated tooling, tighter tolerances, and additional engineering to ensure the part can actually be produced consistently.

The irony is that the products people describe as "simple" are often the result of the most complex work.

That's one of the things I appreciate most about industrial design. The goal isn't to show how much work went into a product. It's to make all that complexity disappear.

One of the biggest changes I've seen over my career is that products are no longer truly finished when they're launched....
08/04/2026

One of the biggest changes I've seen over my career is that products are no longer truly finished when they're launched.

Apps receive updates overnight. Smartwatches gain new features. Cars can improve through software without ever leaving the driveway.

Physical products are different
Unlike software, you can't just push an update to new hardware. Changing the shape of a product, replacing components, or redesigning parts is expensive and often impractical. That's why many companies save those improvements for the next generation.

But if you plan for change from the beginning, physical products can evolve too.

Look at the automotive aftermarket. People swap hoods, grilles, bumpers, wheels, headlights, and taillights to completely transform the look of a vehicle without replacing the entire car. Modular thinking makes that possible.

As designers, that raises an interesting question:

Should we be designing products for what they are today... or for what they could become?

What do you think?

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