Thinking outside the square: Creating value and emotion in ceramic tiles through design-led innovation

This paper describes the design-led principles used to develop innovative, new products within the ceramic tile industry. It details how a traditional business model in a family-run company, was transformed into an ‘innovation strategy’ through design research. It describes how design principles from the textile industry transferred to ceramic tile design to develop innovative new products. The paper outlines the significance of creating value and emotion in ceramic tiles through aesthetics pertinent to shape, form, colour, pattern and crucially tactility. Two case studies, demonstrate how these strategies which included attaching ‘emotional value’ to products, allowed the Company to use the outcomes of the research to expand their product portfolio and achieve greater penetration into existing markets and gain access to new markets. Keywords: Design-Led Innovation, Emotional Value, Creativity, Tactility, Surface Design, Product Innovation