THE ART AND DISCIPLINE OF MECHANICAL DESIGN,
THE THINGS THEY DON'T TEACH YOU IN SCHOOL.

There’s really nothing artistic about mechanical design packaging other than being simplistically symmetrical. The art is in creating a symmetrical design and the discipline is in keeping it as simple as possible. Why symmetrically simple? Symmetry helps streamline the design process from simple CAD parts to large assemblies, remember time is money. Keeping the design as simple as possible helps reduce cost to fabrication and expedites the design from engineering prototype to manufacturing production.

I had an old mentor back in the days when I first started designing before there was CAD. His name was Ray Yapo, I'll never forget him and may his soul rest in peace. As a rookie designer I wanted to showoff my design skills to prove my worth and he told me "You want to impress me? Then remember this rule of thumb, it's called the KISS method. "Keep It Simple Stupid!" I'll never forgot that or him for that most valuable advice. Throughout my career in CAD design that was the most valuable design lesson ever learned. In the TV series "Kung Fu" it was like Qua Chiang Cane taking the pebble from his master's hand. Something we used to joke about before.