Industrial designers must balance style against design considerations if they are to succeed in creating a product or system that optimizes a product’s form and function.
Many industrial design firms focus on styling and the vast array of cool gadgets on the market is testimony to the outpouring of creativity. Style expresses cultural trends, technological breakthroughs, clichés and events within a decorative form, using colors, graphics, textures, etc. A product may be cool looking, but does it function effectively? Is its performance optimized so that it achieves the goals set out by the designer? Does it meet the manufacturers’ requirements for cost-effectiveness and ease of use?
Consider the difference between a chair that is “ergonomically styled” - one that looks comfortable, but is not adapted to the human shape - versus a chair that is ergonomically designed, in other words, its form reflects physical attributes and incorporates factors such as body movement and purpose.
Industrial designer Michael Paloian, President of Integrated Design, explains that good design artfully applies materials and technologies with a keen understanding of all the factors affecting the product’s purpose. “Balance, proportion, attention to detail, subtlety, and human factors are all optimized in good design,” says Paloian. During his 30-year career heading Integrated Design, he has led dozens of projects to design leading-edge products. “A product that is solely designed to function can be engineered well, but it may lack all of these traits and will not be classified as a good design.”
According to the Industrial Design Society of America (IDSA), industrial design is about creating and developing concepts and specifications that optimize the function, value and appearance of products and systems for the mutual benefit of both the user and manufacturer.
Therefore, style should be but one aspect of design. Good design skillfully balances form and function based on the current state of the art and good taste. Moreover, according to Paloian, good design endows a product with characteristic features and a distinctive personality, which honestly expresses its purpose. It is devoid of current clichés, trendy colors or exaggerated features. A well-designed product stands out from the crowd because it delights the user, often providing operating features that enhance their value.
Therefore, innovation – described as a synthesis of technology and users’ experiences – is a critical aspect of good design. While innovative industrial designs require a high degree of creativity, in most cases, innovation occurs when technical advancements come together with a designer’s imagination, resulting in a new product or concept, Paloian says.
“Innovation creates products that broaden and change the boundaries between performance, usefulness and meaning,” he explains. Even a product with great functionality does not guarantee its success. Inspired design, therefore, must offer more than high quality and low cost. According to Paloian, “good industrial design confers enduring value on a product that is imbued with elegance.”
Many industrial design firms focus on styling and the vast array of cool gadgets on the market is testimony to the outpouring of creativity. Style expresses cultural trends, technological breakthroughs, clichés and events within a decorative form, using colors, graphics, textures, etc. A product may be cool looking, but does it function effectively? Is its performance optimized so that it achieves the goals set out by the designer? Does it meet the manufacturers’ requirements for cost-effectiveness and ease of use?
Consider the difference between a chair that is “ergonomically styled” - one that looks comfortable, but is not adapted to the human shape - versus a chair that is ergonomically designed, in other words, its form reflects physical attributes and incorporates factors such as body movement and purpose.
Industrial designer Michael Paloian, President of Integrated Design, explains that good design artfully applies materials and technologies with a keen understanding of all the factors affecting the product’s purpose. “Balance, proportion, attention to detail, subtlety, and human factors are all optimized in good design,” says Paloian. During his 30-year career heading Integrated Design, he has led dozens of projects to design leading-edge products. “A product that is solely designed to function can be engineered well, but it may lack all of these traits and will not be classified as a good design.”
According to the Industrial Design Society of America (IDSA), industrial design is about creating and developing concepts and specifications that optimize the function, value and appearance of products and systems for the mutual benefit of both the user and manufacturer.
Therefore, style should be but one aspect of design. Good design skillfully balances form and function based on the current state of the art and good taste. Moreover, according to Paloian, good design endows a product with characteristic features and a distinctive personality, which honestly expresses its purpose. It is devoid of current clichés, trendy colors or exaggerated features. A well-designed product stands out from the crowd because it delights the user, often providing operating features that enhance their value.
Therefore, innovation – described as a synthesis of technology and users’ experiences – is a critical aspect of good design. While innovative industrial designs require a high degree of creativity, in most cases, innovation occurs when technical advancements come together with a designer’s imagination, resulting in a new product or concept, Paloian says.
“Innovation creates products that broaden and change the boundaries between performance, usefulness and meaning,” he explains. Even a product with great functionality does not guarantee its success. Inspired design, therefore, must offer more than high quality and low cost. According to Paloian, “good industrial design confers enduring value on a product that is imbued with elegance.”
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