Industrial design applies a blend of art and science for working upon a product in a way that there is an increase in its market value through enhanced appearance and functionality. Industrial design can be applied before the introduction of a new commodity or for improvement of an existing product.
The primary consideration of industrial design is the way in which the customer will perceive the product. The customers must see the product as something valuable, for which they are ready to pay the price. Such a result can be achieved by making important additions to the features or the looks of the product, which helps the product to entice the customers to buy it.
This requires an elaborate study into the purchasing habits of the consumer, which can then be considered by the designers of the product. Then come activities like sketching, model making, prototyping, and testing, before the product is considered ready for large scale production. Nowadays, the designers are making greater use of techniques such as 3D software and CAD programs for performing these tasks.
The primary goal of industrial design is enhancement of the very essence of the product. Designers need to focus upon a lot of factors other than the looks of the product. These include durability, utility, ergonomics and the user friendliness of the product. In addition, it is also possible for the designer to decrease the expenditure on production by making more cost effective designs.
Industrial design has a much broader scope than the above mentioned aspects, as it even includes elements like study of the market for the product, packaging and the consumers’ expected reaction to the product designs. That is why industrial designers go through years of extensive training before they work on a real project.
Some of the renowned industrial designers of the modern era are Jonathan Ive, who is the designer of the iMac; Brooks Stevens, the original designer of the Harley-Davidson motorcycle, and Raymond Loewy, famous for the Coca-Cola bottle.
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