design and invention

Unfortunately most of designers today do not conceive themselves as inventors, and therefore the majority of new products stand for their aesthetical value. Not that style is less important but I believe innovation and invention are the true engine of design.
That is basically why I appreciate so much the kind of projects born after deep research, the ones that realise ideas and not only shapes, that are conceived defying the potentials of technologies and materials, that stand out for their absolute novelty or for little clever solutions that make the difference.
Materials and technology are a huge innovation factor and when they have the power to modify the design process, to reinvent the way a product is conceived; then you need great talents to come out with projects that could have never been thought before. I believe that is the case of Materialise.MGX, Freedom of Creation and Patrick Jouin that are proposing a complete new way of designing and realising an object thanks to Rapid Manufacturing.