Industrial design is the art of creating intuitive, appealing products that are a joy for consumers and as easy to manufacture as possible. Industrial design shapes the world we live in, sometimes subtly and sometimes dramatically. From the cars we drive to the toys we buy for our kids, industrial designers are behind everything from cars to children’s toys.
While there are certain principles that hold true across time, the need to appeal to consumers means that there will always be trends and styles that come and go, helping to shape some of the particular characters we associate with certain eras. Different periods of time certainly have their own unique aesthetics, and that’s by design!
So what are some the modern industrial design trends that are currently defining the style of new products? Well, of course, it depends on who you ask. Here are, in our opinion, some of the most influential industrial design trends today.
1. Vintage Design
The vintage aesthetic has been a major cultural trend for the past few years, and it shows no signs of letting up. The argument could be made that there’s always been an appetite for older styles and antique-looking products (not to mention antiques themselves). But it seems like these days the appreciation for old-school cool is higher than ever.
Sometimes this gets associated with “hipsterdom”, whatever that means, but there really is more going on here. The appreciation goes beyond the vintage aesthetic to the old-school technologies themselves. We see the resurgence in vinyl records, hand tools, straight razors… So what’s going on? Of course, part of it is simply that vintage often means classic, and classic is always cool. But beyond that, I think there’s been a bit of a reaction against the mass-produced, highly-consumerist aesthetic of the 80s and 90s. Young people today often yearn for a more genuine experience, and this is what vintage design promises.
2. Curvy, Flowing Shapes
Sometimes rigid lines and hard edges are in style. Now is not really one of those times. Organic, curvy shapes are in in a big way these days. Even when it comes to rather blocky objects like tablets and smartphones, we tend to see a lot of rounded edges, a lot of beveling, and round buttons (if and where buttons can be found).
Part of this trend might be that modern manufacturing technologies are making it easier than ever to reliably produce rounded shapes and curves. It could also be that in our increasingly artificial world, there’s a growing appetite for natural forms and organic shapes.
3. Generative Design
Certainly the most novel trend in industrial design
is the emerging field of generative design. While procedural methods have always been used in various ways in design, the process of generative design really takes this to a new level. Through the clever used of algorithms, designers can reach beyond the limits of human ingenuity to create structural and aesthetic designs that may never have been arrived at otherwise.
The generative process can be thought of as setting up a machine, and then standing back and seeing what the machine produces. This is still very much a creative process, as it still falls on the discerning human mind to establish the initial parameters and then to know when the process has arrived at the proper conclusion.
Generative design is used both for coming up with visually interesting patterns, as well as maximally efficient design solutions. It is often used when looking for a part that is as strong as possible with minimum weight, for example. But it can also be used to great effect simply to produce visually striking designs. As this technology develops, we’re sure to see more generatively designed products on the market.
4. Minimalism
Minimalist design is nothing new. Minimalism is maybe one of the most influential modern aesthetic influences, and it has been important stylistically for a while. Right now, though, there’s a definitively strong trend towards minimalism. We see it everywhere. Apple has essentially made it their core design principle, but we see it elsewhere too, from furniture design to architectural design.
One of the reasons that minimalism has such staying power is that well-executed simplicity has a kind of timeless class. There’s also a lot to be said for intuitiveness and functionality.
The subjugation of form to function that is so central to minimalism has also always been an important part of the philosophy of industrial design.
5. Bright Colors
You know, bright colors don’t always work for everyone. But in the right environment or with the right kind of person, vibrant hues and loud colors can really bring a thing to life. Bright colors communicate friendliness, vivacity, fun, and energy.
Bright colors can also really convey newness and modernity, which can be a big draw depending on the kind of product. Bright neon-ish colors make for great accents, adding an attractive dash of color without going overboard. On the other hand, sometimes going overboard is exactly what you want.
6. Wood
Wood isn’t exactly a new material. It’s certainly one of the oldest. But it’s popping up in all kinds of interesting ways in modern design. Wood was often treated simply as a raw-material in the pre-industrial age and was usually painted over. These days, though, in a world of plastic and concrete, there’s a real appreciation for the incomparable beauty of natural wood grain. Richly grained woods like maple and walnut make for gorgeous accent pieces.
The contrast between natural wood and more artificial materials, particularly metal, makes for stunning aesthetics and appeals to a person’s innate connection with the natural world. Well executed wood accenting, far from being rustic or old-fashioned, can really add a modern edge to the right kind of project.
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