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I've often wondered how it is that LEGO goes about creating new sets. I can easily imagine a person sitting in a room all day with unlimited pieces of every shape but with some of the complicated sets we see these days there must be some sort of computer aid. Do the designers model new sets on a computer which then figures out pieces and instructions or do they do build and tweak until things seem just right? Can anyone provide insight into the process that LEGO takes on creating new sets? |
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I thoroughly enjoyed National Geographic's documentary - Megafactories - LEGO:
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I once had an acquaintance who worked at Lego as a product designer (I don't remember his exact title). His job was, simply put, to come up with new sets. There are some general constraints – balancing the different Lego worlds/themes (contemporary, pirate-age, Star Wars, Harry Potter, etc.), hitting certain price points/box sizes (limiting the number of bricks in a set), coming up with sets that work well together, etc. Lego also tries to design the individual pieces to be used in many settings. The same terrain/foundation was used with differnent paint for the anti-pirate fortress (which my sister had) and the dragon knights castle (which I had). In the old days it was fairly rare for Lego to make new brick types – it has become less so, as their manufacturing processes have become more nimble and less expensive. As for the software used in designing Lego-sets, I know little about it. They do use software/brick simulation, but also work with the physical bricks, especially the old hands :) |
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As far as I know, designers work mostly with bricks only. They do have a desk and a quasi-unlimited supply of parts (which I think is actually not too exactly close to their desks), and usually use their imagination the same way a fan does. Something which fans don't do however, and which designers must do, is keep track of the price of the model they're building so that it's in line with the expected price point (these are determined by marketing when a theme is started). This is much more complicated than it sounds, because element prices aren't always logical (for example, a Technic axle 5 is cheaper than a 4), and the number of different elements counts too (that's why sometimes they use other parts than what would be logical, such as a 1×2 brick with groove when the groove has no purpose whatsoever at that place, but since the brick is already included elsewhere and a regular 1×2 isn't, it's cheaper to use). In short, all production costs are taken into account, including packaging and so on. Of course, for parts which aren't produced yet, the prices is much higher, but how higher depend on a lot of factors (whether the part exists but not in that color, whether the parts fit well in the system, and so on). Design teams may also want to bargain with other teams to have them support the cost development of a new part. Licensed themes may have a different cost structure because the licensees are sometimes willing to pay for a new part if it makes the model more realistic (most good hairdos come from licenses nowadays). Once the designer has a model ready (it'll undergo quite a few tweaks along the way, of course), they'll hand it to another team which will be responsible for making sure the model can be built by kids, and possibly tweak it some more to make the instructions clearer (ever noticed why some hidden bricks have sometimes unexpected colors?). These guys do use computers, and they'll make the instructions as well; but in the meantime the designers are busy on their next model. |
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