The terms Industrial Design and Product Design are frequently used interchangeably. Usually, if you want to distinguish two terms from each other, the initial logical step should be to understand the definition of each term. However, with industrial and product design, it may not be as simple as it seems. While several people believe that these two are the same, others can provide starkly differing definitions for each. 

Therefore, if you are in the design field, there’s an opportunity to explore what each term means and what is involved in both processes. Although they are similar in several ways, they have differences that distinguish them. So here is a deep dive into what each of these designs entails.

1. Industrial design

Industrial design refers to a design process implemented to design products that are supposed to be manufactured through mass production, for instance, a food packager. It deals with designs needed to produce goods at an industrial scale. The term industrial design was coined following the first industrial revolution when factories began to create products in bulk. 

Before this, products were generally designed using manual techniques, which caused lower manufacturing productivity. After this revolution, industrial designers were entrusted with some tasks. Such included replacing existing products with new products with higher efficiency and looking for methods to lower overall manufacturing costs.

2. Product design

On the other hand, product design is a subset of industrial design. A product designer is tasked with ensuring that the product they deliver is fully functional. Product designing is intended to make sure that a business creates a new product that can be sold to its customers. It incorporates a set of strategies and tactics that include generating creative ideas for the creation and commercialization of a product. 

More systematically, it involves conceptualizing and evaluating several ideas to turn products into ideal inventions that the consumers will embrace. As a product designer, your job is to combine various approaches and strategies to create a product that the masses will find helpful.

Differences

Once you have understood what each type of design entails, it is easier to understand how they differ.

a. Industrial design encompasses a broader area than product design

The product design team can only work based on the input provided by industrial design engineers. In other words, industrial design covers a broader base as it involves product specification, presentation, and aesthetics. On the other hand, product design encompasses detailed designing of products based on specifications provided by the company’s industrial design engineers.

b. Industrial design mainly deals with product development lifecycle while product design is just a subset of industrial design.

c. Industrial designers’ primary focus is the aesthetics and manufacturing of a product, while product designers focus on the fine details of products’ designs.

d. Industrial design deals with overall functions, user interface (UI), user experience (UX) of products, and aesthetics. In contrast, product design deals with function-specific teams such as electrical and mechanical engineers.

Conclusion

Both industrial design and product design are essential for creating a product that the masses find helpful for their day-to-day undertakings. This article provides a detailed explanation of what each procedure entails and, in essence, what part each plays in developing a product.