Industrial Design + Soft Goods
Specialize in the world of sewing, fabrics, and production.
Being a freelance person gives you control over your environment and allows you to create at a distance from other people's dynamics, and I think that can eliminate a really problematic brain drain that a lot of people encounter.
The Modjewel Modular Clutch, An ever-changing clutch engineered down to the smallest detail designed by Liz. Photography provided by Liz Daily, Industrial Designer specializing in Soft Goods.
Liz Daily, Industrial Designer Specializing in Soft Goods Freelancer in Chicago
A little about the lovely Liz Daily, Chicago, Illinois-based Soft Goods Designer and Industrial Designer.
Liz received a Bachelor of Fine Arts, BFA in Industrial Design from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 2006, since then she has been based within the Chicago area. In 2011, She founded her own company, working as a Freelance Industrial Designer specializing in Soft Goods. Her process combines traditional industrial design methods with a knowledge of soft goods construction techniques and fabric technology.
Her work has been featured in Nylon Magazine, Fast Company, the Women in Industrial Design Show in San Francisco, Surface Magazine, Interiors Chicago, Men’s Journal, and Wired Magazine.
“I adore obsessively researched, meticulously put together products that do what they are supposed to do. From studying anatomy to making patterns and finding fabrics with the right technical properties, I love knowing all the ins and outs of exactly why things work and how to make them better. Because if it doesn’t work, it’s just silly, isn’t it?
I’m fascinated by the possibilities of fabric and soft goods design. Many industrial designers shy away from fabric because it can be finicky and unpredictable, but things can be achieved in fabric that can’t be done in any other material! It conforms to the body, it stretches and moves with you, it breathes. It can be tough, or delicate. It can have such structure, but it can be amazingly soft. Fabric can be stitched, formed, rf welded, and bonded. It’s amazing stuff, and I study it constantly in the hopes of realizing those astounding possibilities in this neglected area of design.”
“I sometimes meet people that think being freelance is less stressful, and I’d caution anyone considering it that that is not the case—the stresses are just different! ”
Introducing the ins and outs of working as a freelance Industrial Designer specializing in soft goods design
It is 100% self-structured. In many ways, I love that, but it can also be complicated. I was surprised when I started working on my own that I had been more reliant than I had known on office culture to know when to stop for the day when to take breaks.
It is absolutely necessary and you are in danger of burnout if you don't prioritize rest when working for yourself, and it took me many years to appreciate that. There are so many areas that you have to deal with when you're freelance. The business end of freelance—finding and maintaining clients, billing, website and portfolio maintenance, understanding SEO, business licenses, tax filing, finances, equipment purchase, and maintenance. There's so much outside of design work that isn't billable that you need to take into consideration if freelance is something you're thinking about.
Since I specialize in soft goods within industrial design, I had to do a lot of additional study. I'm a big fan of books as a way to teach yourself, so I tracked down everything I could find, new and old on pattern making, sewing, fabric, tailoring, sewn product manufacturing, and combined that with many many hours of practice to get an understanding of the field.
Featured Liz’s studio, showcasing some of the sewing machines & materials. Photography provided by Liz Daily, Chicago Illinois-based Freelance Industrial Designer specializing in Soft Goods Design.
When I started working, soft goods in industrial design, I was not taken very seriously as an area of work.
I disagreed! It was hard to find a place in the industry that fit me, so I worked on my own learning in-depth about the field and created a process for myself that emphasized the physical making and testing of fabric products. If there is something you love and are thrilled to work on, go towards it.
I really believe that finding a niche that is particular to you and the obsessions of your brain is the way to differentiate yourself. Sometimes there is a market for that thing, and sometimes there isn't yet, so look for people who appreciate and value what you do and hone your skills in that area as best you can. Additionally, office cultures, when they're bad, can be really bad. Particularly if you're an empath (which I bet a lot of industrial designers are), soaking in dysfunctional dynamics all day can be so draining.
Liz featured, using a caliper to measure the eye of a modeled human head. Photography provided by Liz Daily, Chicago Illinois-based Freelance Industrial Designer specializing in Soft Goods Design.
Projects during covid pandemic
I worked on protective masks for children during these pandemic times. This was wild as everything needed to be done quickly, but obviously, quality was so important. It really united all my areas of study: an understanding of fit, textile science, and aesthetics as a means of destigmatizing a necessary object in order to encourage the use and make it more enjoyable!
Since many of my projects often take at least a year of development, it was exciting to have something go out the door and be used by kids in a short period of time when needed.
All elements that entail being a freelance Designer
It's exhausting. Being a freelance person has so many advantages that I prize: autonomy, an ability to select clients and projects, flexibility, but it is very difficult. Particularly with soft goods work, since I do so much with physical prototypes, I have many industrial sewing machines, 3d printers, a huge stock of fabric, hardware, closures, etc. It's a ton of stuff to find, organize, inventory, store, repair, and maintain. It's a lot!
I love this as my path, but anyone going into it should be prepared for the mountain of work that's particular to it.
Featured is the Moji Neck Heat Therapy Wrap Design by Liz Daily, Chicago Illinois-based Freelance Industrial Designer specializing in Soft Goods Design. Moji is a streamlined, reversible neck heat therapy product. “The goal was to create an effective, comfortable neck heating product that also removed the stigmatizing aesthetic common to the category.”
“And of course for any freelancer there is all the outside work of the business end of things.”
Featured The Art of Alchemy Eye Masks Design by Liz Daily, Chicago Illinois-based Freelance Industrial Designer specializing in Soft Goods Design.
I'm an introverted person and was always reluctant to engage in "networking," even though I knew that was an essential component of consulting. Big design events, where women were in the minority, did not feel very welcoming to me, and the types of conversations I had there did not excite me.
Instead, I started reaching out to other design peers whose work I loved and just letting them know! This practice, which's more fitting to my natural temperament and came from genuine appreciation, was much more fruitful for me and led to some wonderful friendships and work opportunities.
If you're working for yourself, it's easy to become isolated, so I would recommend finding ways that work with who you are to reach out and find a community that feels right for you.
“If you’re removing yourself from one workplace culture, it’s important to create a new one.”
THANK YOU, Liz, FOR GIVING US A GLIMPSE INTO YOUR CAREER & WORK AS AN INSPIRING WOMAN IN DESIGN.
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