Whose Design is it? The Use of External Designers

A company's decision to use an industrial designer during a product's development process requires important decisions such as ‘should an internal or external designer be employed?’ and ‘how to structure and manage the relationship between designer and commissioning organization?’ The article elaborates on the different choices an organization has, and their implications. The case study of the design and development process of a motorbike, for which an external design consultancy was employed, is used to illustrate issues surrounding the relationship between external designer and company in a real-life example.