Creative Design and Innovation: How to produce successful products and buildings
By Prof Robin Roy
2024
Taylor & Francis
9781003354406
Review by Tomás García Ferrari
Robin Roy’s Creative Design and Innovation: How to produce successful products and buildings examines the interplay between creativity—defined as an essential element of the innovation process and the activity oriented to outcomes that people would generally consider benign—and innovation—understanding it could be an activity or the outcome of that activity. The author focuses on physical objects, and moves across diverse design domains, including engineering, product and industrial design, architecture, eco-design, fashion, graphic design, media and fine arts, transportation, and consumer electronics. Drawing on extensive academic and research experience, Roy integrates case studies and theoretical insights to offer a valuable resource for academics and practitioners navigating the complexities of innovative design with a focus on physical objects rather than services, processes or systems. For instance, Roy explores the development of the smartphone as a revolutionary product, alongside innovations in architecture such as eco-friendly buildings.
The book’s eight chapters are structured to progressively deepen the reader’s understanding, beginning with foundational concepts and frameworks. Roy explains the relation between creativity and innovation , citing Bettina von Stamm (2003, p.1), who notes that the innovation process cannot occur without creative work, with creativity being essential at every stage of the process. The author emphasises the role of design as a bridge between these two domains. He then presents diverse case studies from various industries and time periods, from Dyson’s cyclone vacuum cleaner (1984), the Rover Safety bicycle (1885) and the development of pre-fabricated eco-houses (2005), before concluding with actionable guidelines for successful creative design and innovation. By presenting complex ideas through tangible case studies—including eight major examples across revolutionary, radical, and major innovations such as the iPhone, the Barking Bags for dog walkers , and the pneumatic cycle tyre—alongside practitioners’ insights, the book illustrates the transformative potential of well-supported ideas. It highlights not only the importance of funding but also the contextual factors that influence innovation. In conservative, risk-averse environments, the adoption of innovative designs is likely to be slow. These case studies are carefully chosen to represent a good mix of historical and contemporary innovations, spanning diverse domains. Throughout, Roy captures the multifaceted nature of creativity, incorporating perspectives that illuminate the intricate and elusive aspects of the creative process.
Roy’s accessible style is evident in his clear explanation of concepts like the distinction between creativity and innovation and the use of relatable case studies. His years as design educator are shown in the didactical approach and how the text gently guides the reader, providing necessary pauses to consolidate ideas. This accessible yet detailed writing style makes it appealing to both experts and novices alike.
While some chapters centre on UK-based examples, the universality of the concepts ensures applicability to a range of contexts. However, readers from non-Western context may find some examples distant, particularly where cultural or market-specific nuances are significant. That said, Roy’s inclusion of globally impactful innovations such as the smartphone, provides sufficient balance and ensures the transferability of key principles.
Roy’s use of case studies, coupled with concise summary sections, makes the book particularly relevant for understanding creativity and innovation. It examines the conditions that foster these processes, showing how they lead to successes or, as explored in the final chapter, sometimes failures. For those seeking to cultivate environments conducive to design-led innovation—whether in education, industry, or policymaking—this book provides substantial material and critical lessons. The actionable guidelines in the final chapter, distilled from patterns observed in the previous case studies, are particularly useful for practitioners. Its contribution complements work such as Tim Brown’s Change by Design: How Design Thinking Creates New Alternatives for Business and Society (2009) and Nigel Cross’s Design Thinking: Understanding How Designers Think and Work (2011).
Overall, Roy delivers a compelling exploration of the processes behind iconic projects, offering inspiration for expanding approaches to design and fostering innovation. This book is a valuable resource for professionals and educators alike, as well as a potential tool for advocating the role of design in policy and strategy. By bridging theory and practice, Creative Design and Innovation stands as a significant contribution to the literature on design, creativity and innovation.
Tomás García Ferrari is an accomplished designer, educator, and researcher specialising in design theory and digital media. He has built a career spanning Argentina, Germany, and New Zealand, contributing to design, education, and research. With extensive experience across academia and industry, he has worked on projects ranging from interactive systems to cultural heritage. García Ferrari is known for his interdisciplinary approach, combining human-centred design with technological innovation, and publishes on design theory, practice, and its intersections with technology and society. Currently, he holds a Senior Lecturer position at the University of Waikato in New Zealand.
References
Von Stamm, B. (2003) Managing Innovation, Design and Creativity. Chichester: Wiley.