Designers' and indigenous potters' collaboration towards innovation in pottery production

This paper touches on the boundaries between craft and design and innovations of the indigenous pottery in Ghana. It focuses on expanding the frontiers of production through a collaborative effort on design thinking and skills development as a starting point to new directions; it examines their response to new design thinking and new production forms which are related to their culture as well as being just novel and appealing to the current market. Two case studies in Ghana were used; female adults who have been in the art of producing pottery for over 25 years and young men who use some level of improvised machinery in producing the same. Through creative thinking and skills development, indigenous potters still maintained their cultural consciousness, satisfaction and were innovative in producing products which are relevant to their present life and market.