If you have designs for wonderful machines in mind, but aren’t sure how to turn your ideas into real, engineered products that can be manufactured, marketed, and used, this book is for you. Engineering professor and veteran maker Tom Ask helps you integrate mechanical engineering concepts into your creative design process by presenting them in a rigorous but largely nonmathematical format. Through mind stories and images, this book provides you with a firm grounding in material mechanics, thermodynamics, fluid dynamics, and heat transfer. Students, product and mechanical designers, and inventive makers will also explore nontechnical topics such as aesthetics, ethnography, and branding that influence product appeal and user preference. Learn the importance of designing functional products that also appeal to users in subtle ways - Explore the role of aesthetics, ethnography, brand management, and material culture in product design - Dive into traditional mechanical engineering disciplines related to the behavior of solids, liquids, and gases - Understand the human factors of design, such as ergonomics, kinesiology, anthropometry, and biomimicry - Get an overview of available mechanical systems and components for creating your product "This book fills a much needed void. Those without a formal engineering and/or math background but who still hold the responsibility to insure that the products that they design actually work will find this book an excellent guide. Engineering concepts are made easy to understand with excellent, real life examples in an undiluted presentation. An invaluable tool for any designer or inventor." Georgene Rada, Vice President Global Design, Briggs & Riley "[This] book is really amazing. It is able to transform the engineering jargon into lucid, imaginary visualization." Henry Kang, Head of Marine Technology, Univesiti Teknologi Malaysia "One of the best Product Design books of all time" - BookAuthority Thomas Ask is professor of industrial design at Penn College. He previously worked as a practicing engineer for nearly 20 years. During this time in industry, he designed dozens of commercialized products and systems. His employment includes senior engineer at Ingersoll Rand, principal of Ask and Associates, and vice president of engineering at Odin Systems. He is the founder of the Society of Inventors and Mad Scientists, as well as a licensed Professional Engineer with a doctorate in industrial design.