What Is Industrial Design?

"To understand industrial design, one must think in dimensions.” An expert explains its origins and its future

Industrial design is, in essence, a discipline aimed at finding solutions to different problems, from the functionality of objects to the creation of new shapes.

Juan Pablo Fuentes (@juanpablofuentes), industrial designer and founder of the shop Cómodo, explains what it is and what makes good industrial design.

Before we begin, what is industrial design?

The simplest way to understand industrial design is to think in dimensions. If it’s two-dimensional and can be printed on a piece of paper like a logo or an illustration, the pages of a book, it’s graphic. If it’s three-dimensional, it’s industrial. The poster you have on your wall is graphic, the chair you sit in is industrial.

Industrial design should also meet a series of characteristics:

An engine of progress

We have been able to mass-produce objects since the Industrial Revolution. With this radical change, a reduction in time and handiwork brought costs down drastically. Juan Pablo Fuentes believes that this progress led to equality and democratization as more people were able to access more objects.

New possibilities

Despite the negative factors of the Industrial Revolution, Juan Pablo reflects on its many benefits. Industrial design gave people more opportunities, more jobs. Many objects have transformed people’s lives for the better, from cars to clothes and furniture, hygiene products, and even less tangible entities like information and communication.

Aesthetic

In the iconic words of German industrial designer Dieter Rams, good industrial design doesn’t only need to serve functionality, but must also serve aesthetics. This brief video lists the ten principles of good design according to Rams.

What is the future of industrial design?

In the past, industrial design put objects that were previously reserved for the elites in reach of the normal person. However, design evolves and new trends incorporate crucial factors of modern life. For example, companies are now searching to reduce transport and production costs, as well as their environmental impact. In this sense, future industrial design will need to be just and avoid senseless consumerism.

In the course Furniture and Object Design for Beginners, Juan Pablo Fuentes will teach you how to design a set of furniture and objects. You will learn how to build a concept maquette and how to make it in real size.

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