The Materials Generation: The emerging experience of DIY-Materials

The DIY movement is expanding beyond products to include the materials from which the products are made; namely, DIY-Materials. Designers around the globe are engaging in different experimental journeys encircling the materials development field before developing their projects. The design process includes the phase in which the material is developed, and this phase influences the whole creative pathway. Self-made material sources are providing designers with a unique tool to develop new languages and new products with origi-nal and fresh materials experiences. As more designers take this path of materials development, which can be defined as design driven, a proper study around the phenomenon needs to be carried out. This dissertation presents a series of studies conducted to understand the DIY-Materials phenomenon as one of the emerging materials experi-ences in the field of design.

The research was called "Materials Generation" on purpose as it takes advantage of the double meaning of the expression. It refers to the new generation of designers who are aware of the possibilities that emerge when a project starts with the generation of material.