Industrial design is the art and science involved in the creation of machine-made products. It is concerned with aesthetic appearance as well as with functional efficiency. The successful design gives profit to its manufacturer and pleasure to its owner.
The term industrial design was originated in 1919 by the American industrial designer Joseph Sinel. Initially, industrial designers dealt only with machine-made consumer products. Eventually, however, they started designing capital goods, such as farm machinery, industrial tools, transportation equipment, and the planning of exhibitions, commercial buildings and packaging.
CRITERIA. Under prevailing standards of design, a product should have beauty of line, color, proportion, and texture; high efficiency and safety of operation; convenience or comfort in use; ease of maintenance and repair; durability. A consideration basic to all good design is the factor of realistic cost.
PRODUCT DESIGN. Today industrial design has been applied to practically all consumer products, notably to home appliances, such as air conditioners, irons, office equipment, such as typewriters, dictaphones, electronic communications equipment, such as radios, television sets, and others.
METHODS. Every design problem requires special procedures, timing, and techniques, but there is a general routine applicable to all. After the industrial designer is informed of the needs of the client, specialists associated with the designer conduct a study of competitive products. A design program is planned, and preliminary designs of the proposed product are then sketched on the basis of the available plant facilities. Rough sketches are chosen for further refinement and study, and the client is then presented with design studies, often in the form of a small model. Following the selection of the approved design, working drawings indicating the choice of materials and the specifications for finishing and assembly are prepared. A handmade working model is then manufactured and submitted to the client for approval. In the case of an automobile, for example, one or several are handmade and tested at proving grounds before final machine dies are ordered and production begins.