Modern Industrial Design
According to the Industrial Design Society of America (IDSA), “Industrial design is the professional service of creating and developing concepts and specifications that optimize the function, value and appearance of products and systems for the mutual benefit of both user and manufacturer.” Of all the definitions, and there are many, this seems to most accurately describe the industrial design function.
What is the industrial design process?
Industrial design focuses on technical concepts, products and processes. It also considers usability, aesthetics and ergonomics and can embrace the engineering of objects, usefulness and market placement.
It may also deal with other concerns such as psychology, desire and the user’s attachment to the design object. Naturally, the application of these factors varies with the design objective and with individual designers.
Product design and industrial design often overlap into the areas of interface design, information design and interaction design. The term industrial design engineer is sometimes used to describe a technically competent industrial designer.
How do industrial designers work?
Individual designers who work together as a design team frequently provide industrial design services. Members might well include designers, marketing, engineering and manufacturing specialists. The industrial designer is the person that expresses all the individual design criteria of the other group members. His or her contribution highlights aspects of the product or system that relates best to human needs, characteristics and interests. The designer must have an understanding of the tactile, visual, safety and convenience factors that will concern the end user. Essential industrial design resources include physiological, psychological and sociological factors that influence the user. Finally, they must also have a practical concern for technology processes.
What are the industrial design employment opportunities?
While the majority of industrial designers supply concepts for products and systems, they are often also employed as consultants on a variety of problems relating to a client’s image. These typically include product or organizational identity systems, communications system development, the planning of interior space, exhibit design, advertising devices, packaging and related services. They are also in demand in a wide number of administrative areas to assist in developing industrial standards, quality control procedures and regulatory guidelines for the improvement of manufacturing operations and products.
Many industrial design projects are now outsourced
Since there has been a significant expansion of Internet-based organizations and a global corporate need to operate companies with the lowest-possible overhead, many industrial design projects are outsourced to individuals and design teams. This is when the company with a need posts it as a project on a website designed specifically to allow worldwide freelance designers to bid on posted projects. The company, or ‘buyer’ not only eliminates the cost of an additional staff design team, but also gains an opportunity to select the most suitable designer or ‘provider’ to handle its project at a competitive price. The number of industrial design projects being posted today is quite diverse as is the different expertise of the designers who bid on these projects.
