Product Design vs. Industrial Design

Product Design
Product Design vs. Industrial Design
Article by Jelena Relić
Last Updated: February 19, 2024

While product design and industrial design are closely related disciplines, they have distinct characteristics and objectives.

We will put product design vs. industrial design in the ring and explore their differences by looking at the processes behind these two methodologies.

Introduction to Product and Industrial Design

In some ways, various aspects of product and industrial design coincide. Let's define product and industrial design separately and see their similarities before getting into their differences.

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Understanding the Process Behind Product Design

As opposed to industrial design, product design is a broader term referring to the entire process of designing new or improving existing products, considering the form, function, and user experience.

With the increased use of technology-aided designing, engineering experts can devise complicated and intricate parts with much ease and expertise.

According to some, product design is also referred to as a subset of industrial design, as product design does not entail bulk generation of commodities.

Entrepreneurs often come up with ideas that they can transform into life-changing products. However, as product design requires expertise, they often enlist the help of a product design company to shape unique product ideas.

Regarding the specific processes of turning a mere concept into a functional product, product design involves striking a balance between functionality and aesthetics. Product designers use CAD software to create designs, mockups, and drafts and put the idea together into an authentic product.

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Understanding the Process Behind Industrial Design

On the other hand, the scope of industrial design is much wider since it relates to designing products specifically for mass production. It includes considerations for manufacturing processes, materials, and cost-effectiveness.

Industrial design also has a relatively higher impact, as large-scale manufacturing has enabled people to maintain a higher living standard. Pieces of machinery and engineering tools have made the multiplication of identical objects through mass production straightforward.

Industrial design companies begin by constructing an initial product design and then focus on mass-producing or outsource manufacturing to a different company.

In practical terms, industrial designing is not restricted to computer-aided engineering (CAE) and computer-aided drafts (CAD). Instead, every component is explained in detail to understand the manufacturing techniques that would be required.

However, designing each component and how they fit together is not enough to succeed in the industrial design process. For instance, industrial designers need to account for things like draft angles, ensure durability so the product survives mass production stages, and so on.

Oftentimes, product designers who don’t deal with industrial goods may bypass such intricate details, but those are some of the differentiating factors that separate product design from industrial design.

Product Design vs. Industrial Design: What Are the Differences?

If you’re unsure whether you should choose between a product design company or an industrial design company, learning about the differences in more detail is essential.

The following table outlines the differences between industrial design and product design:

INDUSTRIAL DESIGN 

PRODUCT DESIGN 

Industrial design considers the details around mass production.

Product design is focused on delivering the best user-centric product.

Industrial designers focus on the integration of form and function but also efficiency and cost-effectiveness regarding production on a large scale.

Product designers are primarily concerned with the aesthetics, ergonomics, and user interaction with the product.

Industrial design involves collaboration with engineers to ensure the design’s feasibility.

Product design has to do with the specific function, aesthetics, user interface (UI), and user experience (UX) of the products.

Industrial designers may need to abide by certain standards and regulations for mass-produced goods.

Product designers ensure the product aligns with applicable standards, but the scope is narrower.

Industrial designers may work on appliances, automobiles, tools and equipment, and so on.

Product designers may work on consumer electronics, apparel, software, graphics, and the like.

There might not be many differences between product design and industrial design, but the subtle ones are worth noting.

Expert Insights on Product and Industrial Design

We asked agency experts: "Name one thing you think is essential to good product or industrial design."

Mark Little, Product Designer & Director at LUMA-iD:

"Making sure there is a genuine need for a product. Its very important that products that enter the market are needed, can be useful and are designed to consider their total carbon footprint. We don't want badly designed, not needed and not well designed products to enter landfill and be a huge waste on the planet."

Myles Bates, Design Engineer & Founder, Bates Product Design:

"It is imperative to consider the real-life customer when designing a product. It is easy for experts to underestimate their own background knowledge, leading to the end user to be overwhelmed or confused. You need to consider many things, including: who is the final user, will they be the only person using it, how well will it be looked after and what are the worst-case scenarios that the product must endure.

For example, a car key to some will be kept safely in a bag, used during the daytime and used regularly enough that the user knows what each button does without looking. But what if the car is being used as a hire car? Then the key might be thrown around, used in the dark for the first time, and be passed through hundreds of hands. By considering the end customers, you may make the key easy to clean, include indicators to help find the unlock button in the dark and even sell replacement covers to keep the key looking new."

Andrew Namminga, Principal Industrial Designer at ANDesign Lab:

"Essential to superior design: Prioritize user needs. Elevate function, aesthetics, and experience. Craft products users love interacting with."

Benjamin Wild, Director at Enhanced Media Group LTD: 

"Our approach integrates market trends with innovative design to create products that resonate with consumers and stand out in the market." Essential Element of Good Product/Industrial Design: "User-centric design is key; it's the cornerstone of creating products that not only look great but also meet practical user demands."

Ray Keefe, Managing Director at Successful Endeavours Pty Ltd:

"The most essential thing the determines and products success is to ensure that you have identified all the stakeholders and made sure they are all satisfied. Very successful products adequately satisfy every stakeholder. And any product which fails to meet the minimum needs of a stakeholder is very likely fail in the long run.

For the rest of this I will assume a physical product because there are more stakeholders. Stakeholders often not considered when designing a physical product:

The manufacturer(s)
The installer –is it easy to install and configure?
Service and Support – for when something goes wrong!
Sales – have you given them the features they need to effectively demonstrate the product’s value proposition?
Product end of life – Circular Economy and Sustainability are important!
Investors – they can pull out if not confident of success!
And of course, you still have to research, prototype, design, build, verify and validate the product."

Voytek Holysz, Chief Operations Officer, Mindsailors Sp. z o.o.:

"Communication is the most important part of product development—explaining your rationale and leveling the language so that everyone understands each other, regardless of experience or knowledge. No one should assume what someone else knows, is doing, or will do next. No product design process will succeed without good communication."

Takeaways on Product and Industrial Design

Considering that both product and industrial designers play crucial roles in the industry, their expertise helps transform an idea into a viable product.

Selecting the right product design company ensures that you have experts who take comprehensive care of everything from how to name a product to overcoming possible setbacks in the product development cycle. At the same time, the industrial design company should be able to provide mass production and value engineering while also challenging the feasibility of an idea.

Overall, with a thin line between product and industrial design services, both play a significant role in their quarter. When you have a clear idea of the requirements of product designing, defining the difference between the two becomes simpler.

FAQs

Is a product designer an industrial designer?

An industrial designer can be a product designer, but a product designer cannot be an industrial designer without additional qualifications. For example, being a product designer does not require knowledge of manufacturing processes.

Is product design and industrial design the same?

No, product design and industrial design are not the same. While they overlap in areas, product design focuses mainly on the concept, user interface, and user experience of a product.

It involves creating functional and practical products with the end-user in mind. Industrial design, on the other hand, concentrates more on the physical appearance, functionality, and manufacturability of a product. It's about creating products for mass production, often involving knowledge of materials, manufacturing processes, and technologies.

What are the similarities between product design and industrial design?

Product design and industrial design have several similarities. For starters, they both:

  • Share a common goal of creating functional and appealing products for consumers
  • Focus on improving the usability and aesthetic appeal of products
  • Involve thorough market research to understand user needs
  • Require a deep understanding of materials and production processes to deliver efficient, cost-effective solutions
  • Carry out prototype testing and iterate design improvements based on feedback
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