Globalization and DesignersThe world is shrinking, markets are expanding, and manufacturing industries have become decentralized. New industrialized nations have arisen; Global economies are shifting and changing. The idea that the world is becoming a “smaller” place comes from Thomas Friedman's book, The World is Flat, in which he describes how the world has flattened before our eyes and is now a level playing field, where all competitors have equal opportunities. Geographic, cultural, financial and economic boundaries have disappeared and countries, companies and individuals must adapt to remain competitive in the global marketplace. This change has been described as “globalization,” characterized by the rise of emerging markets and the simultaneous economic crisis in developed countries. Due to the economic downturn, developed countries have started to shift production to emerging markets to take advantage of lower labor costs and more lenient regulations. However with this globalization technology continues to advance at an exponential rate (Ray Kurzweil Ted Talk). As the world around us evolves, the role of designers has evolved along with changes in global development. Multinational corporations, which once sold the same product they developed for consumers in their home market and launched it in the global market, now hire designers to develop new products that will appeal to all the world's multicultural consumers. The global designer's goal is to identify the common denominators of an object's function and form, despite cultural differences around the world. Technology Advances in communication technology such as the Internet, along with electronic mail, have replaced airmail and fax machines. PDFs that become large... in the center of the paper... ions. Shipping, freight and airline companies depend on moving large quantities of consumer goods daily, supplying Western markets with items manufactured in the Far East and around the world. According to experts, all this could be about to change. A potential threat to the logistics sector, 3D printing has the ability to revolutionize manufacturing techniques, enabling the use of greater automation and therefore cost savings. The rise of 3D printing is expected to cause a decline in the freight industry, reducing demand for long-distance transportation such as the air, sea, and rail transportation sectors. Despite the potential loss, other industries that exploit this resource will benefit from reduced shipping and manufacturing costs, and as production gets closer to the end market there will be benefits such as cheaper transportation and reduced pollution.