What does industrial design include? Industrial designer. Examples of innovation strategies

The profession is aimed at optimizing the appearance of the product. Art, technology and marketing are the three components of this field of activity. To successfully implement the goal, a professional looks for high-quality prototypes and analyzes ready-made market samples. Using three-dimensional modeling, he solves the problem of relating the appearance and functionality of an individual product. The specialist calculates how to reduce costs and make the product safe. An industrial designer maximizes efficiency by using graphic programs: 3D Studio Max, SolidWorks, solidThinking, Rhinoceros, Pro/Engineer, 3D CAiD, Solid Edge.

Personal qualities

A harmonious combination of technical and artistic inclinations is optimal for industrial design. Specialization in industrial activities requires a practical mind. In addition, the designer is an esthete with an ideal sense of style. A developed eye and accurate color perception are required. A designer is not an artist, so perseverance, rather than inspiration, plays a more important role in the result.

Where to study for this profession.

Admission to a designer requires the results of the Unified State Examination in Literature, or. Also, the variability of the list increases with Mathematics or a Foreign Language. It is mandatory for the applicant to undergo a creative test consisting of two parts: Drawing and Composition. To submit documents, you should select the “Industrial Design” profile.

In the first two years, the student is taught basic Drawing, Painting, and Composition. With the help of non-trivial tasks, the teacher teaches the student to think original and see things from a different angle. At the same time, students receive training in using professional software. In the final years of the bachelor's degree, all special subjects will be studied in more depth. However, to master the profession on a full scale, it is advisable to increase the training period to six years.

Examples of universities:

• St. Petersburg State University of Industrial Technologies and Design - SPbGUPTD;

Pros and cons of the profession.

Career. Places of employment.

Industrial designer vacancies are usually posted by production and art workshops and design studios. Employment is also possible at various enterprises in the city. Sometimes designers become freelancers and later found their own agencies. This profession is quite in demand in the freelance services market. For example, on the freelance exchange Pchol.net, dozens of remote work vacancies for industrial designers are added every day. The initial salary level ranges from 20-30 thousand rubles. Specialists with experience can count on an increase in the base rate to 55 thousand rubles.

Related professions.

Web designers are also related specialties.
An industrial designer is a rather rare specialist in Russia. Due to the high demand for the profession, designers from other fields tend to change their specialization. With great desire and a competent approach to business, the process is not so complicated. It is worth studying professional literature and mastering the necessary software.

Industrial design or, as it is also called by dedicated people, industrial design, object design, industrial design, is a branch of design, an area of ​​artistic and technical activity (whatever you call this conglomerate of art and technology), the purpose of which is to determine the formal qualities of products and other objects industrially produced habitats. One might even say more, the field of activity of industrial design is the structural and functional features of a product, as well as its appearance.

Industrial design involves the effective development of ideas through a process that leads to the production of new products, even if these are photo essays.

The history of industrial design is a little shorter than that of design in general. The first designers working in the industrial sector appeared in the 18th century on English territory. The first milestones of industrial design are associated with the name and activities of J. Wedgwood, who with his creativity contributed to the development of industrial production of printed fabrics, but the definition of “industrial design” as such appeared much later.

It was first defined as “industrial design.” The German architect Walter Gropius had a hand in this in 1918, who founded a revolutionary school of industrial design in Weimar, Germany. This is nothing special now, but then this event revolutionized the world of industry and the world of design. Walter Gropius officially announced the fusion of art and technology into one whole.

The next round of development in the history of industrial design occurred after the Second World War. It was then that it received a serious impetus for development in Scandinavia and the Netherlands, at the same time interest in this direction of design was shown in the United States of America, where industrial design brought incredible success to its pioneers - sales literally skyrocketed. And by the 60s of the twentieth century, it was in the USA that the College of Industrial Design was organized, and design flew into, so to speak, mass use.

The members of the Board gave a very succinct definition of “industrial design”. They argued that this is a manifestation of creative activity that can improve the external advantages of goods produced by industry.

At the present stage of the globalized 21st century, industrial design, as a not entirely new type of activity of design studios, includes three elements: art, marketing and modern technology.

As in all types of creative human activity, in industrial design there is protection of intellectual property rights for the object or objects developed as part of the project on which the designer is working. The result of the creativity of an industrial designer must be protected by a patent for an invention, utility model or industrial design. This is the kind of world it is, even creativity in it is overshadowed by legal issues.

Every photographer, professional or amateur, in his work often encounters such a type of creativity as design, in particular the art of layout, style and decoration. Therefore, we decided to create a new section “Design” on the site, where we will publish articles about design as a form of creativity, about graphic design, design tasks, typography, fonts, visual communications, graphic solutions, and the work of famous graphic and industrial designers. The first article of the new section is devoted to industrial or industrial design.

Industrial or industrial design refers to the area of ​​design art that deals with the artistic design of elements of the objective content of the human environment. Industrial designers try to define the appearance of everyday objects around us and at the same time try to make them as functional as possible. Its success in the market largely depends on the ease of use, functionality and appearance of a product, which is why industrial design is extremely in demand today. In this article we will try to understand how industrial design appeared, what are its main features and differences from other types of design?

We can say that industrial design as an independent direction has emerged from architecture. It is not for nothing that many people who stood at the origins of the development of industrial design were outstanding architects of their time. Actually, it is to architecture and industrial design that we largely owe the formation of the object-spatial environment surrounding the nose in the form in which it exists today. However, if architecture solves rather spatial problems, then industrial design is focused on the formation of an objective environment.

The main task of industrial design is to determine the exterior, functional and structural features of equipment, technology, products and products that surround us in everyday life. In this regard, a distinctive feature of industrial design can be called its orientation towards mass industrial production.

In addition, industrial design is always aimed at market needs. Indeed, in order to increase sales in conditions of fierce competition, manufacturers have to resort to various methods, the most effective of which is the interesting and bright design of their products. This allows you to interest and attract consumers. However, such a focus on the market is inherent in other types of design to varying degrees.

Therefore, perhaps, the main difference between industrial design and other areas of design art is its connection with the everyday and industrial needs of humans. Industrial design deals with various kinds of artificially created equipment, technology and products that occupy a certain intermediate position between man and the natural structures surrounding him. An industrial designer is engaged in the artistic design of objects of mass industrial production, which, in particular, can include the following categories of products:

• household appliances (dishes and other kitchen utensils, radio and electrical equipment);
• cars and other vehicles;
• technological equipment for industrial production (machines and other equipment);
• engineering devices and structures;
• visual communications;
• interior elements (furniture).

The art of industrial design actually has deep historical roots, although this direction only took final shape in the 20th century. Most researchers agree that the starting point for the emergence and development of industrial design are those times when things began to be made on machines, rather than by hand. As a result, the products began to lose their individual features. Therefore, some people began to seriously fear that the appearance of such objects in everyday life would negatively affect a person’s inner harmony.

This is where the need for industrial design began to emerge. The example usually cited is the English industrialist Josiah Wedgwood, who lived back in the 18th century. Being involved in the manufacture of printed fabrics on an industrial scale, he, perhaps for the first time in history, paid the closest attention to the design and appearance of his products.

However, until the beginning of the 20th century, industrially manufactured objects in most cases were simply decorated with decorative elements that served as a kind of reminder of the handicraft of the artisan. By the way, artisans, despite the relatively small volumes of production, over many generations of their work have accumulated very valuable experience for industrial design. Indeed, in the course of their work, they identified the relationship between the purpose of an object and its shape, material, manufacturing technology, functional and aesthetic properties.

With the advent of such products as communications, steam transport or industrial machines in human life, at first the same contours and lines familiar to the eye of the layman of that time were applied to them, which were based on the experience of traditional craft culture. One of the first to declare the inseparability of the beauty of an object and its function was the artist, theorist of fine arts and architecture J. Ruskin. He was a staunch opponent of machine production, seeing the way to combine aesthetics and functionality of manufactured objects only in the revival of folk craft traditions.

At the beginning of the 20th century, new artistic styles emerged; in search of new areas of creativity, many artists and architects turned to industrial products. In turn, entrepreneurs and manufacturing plant owners began to realize for the first time the importance of design in the product creation process. In 1907, the Deutsche Werkbund association appeared in Germany, which declared its goal to create “ideal samples” for industrial production based on traditional craft culture. The principles of “aesthetic functionalism” laid down by the theorists of this creative association formed the basis of industrial design. True, the participants of the Deutsche Werkbund produced samples of products only in limited quantities to present them to the public at various exhibitions.

One of the prominent representatives of the field of industrial design at the beginning of the 20th century was the architect P. Behrens, who developed his own interesting forms of electric lamps, electric cookware and fans - that is, those types of products that at that time did not yet have any specific visual understanding. Using the principles of “aesthetic functionalism,” Behrens made these products recognizable and unique in their own way.

In 1919, an entire school of industrial design called Bauhaus was created in Weimar, founded by the German designer and architect Walter Gropius. The motto of this school was “New unity of art and technology.” The Bauhaus developed the principles of artistic design as an integrated approach to the design of things. The foundations of theoretical design in industrial design were laid, mainly that function and design determine form. Accordingly, the more functional the item, the more beautiful it should be.

This principle guided the members of this creative association, who believed that an industrial designer is an artist, craftsman and technologist rolled into one. Since the designer needed to create products for mass production, he therefore needed to know the entire production process from start to finish. By the way, product samples developed in the depths of the Bauhaus school in the 20s of the last century are still successfully sold and are very popular. The success of these products is due to the optimal combination of high manufacturability, aesthetic and ergonomic qualities.

Following the example of the school in Weimar, the Higher Artistic and Technical Workshops (VKHUTEMAS) were created in our country in 1920. Their first dean was designer, graphic artist, photographer A. Rodchenko, one of the founders of constructivism. Within the walls of these artistic and technical workshops, practical problems begin to be solved, and original design concepts are formed.

The further development of industrial design, oddly enough, was facilitated by the crisis of 1929-1930 that arose in American industry. Industrial design turned out to be one of the means of solving commercial problems of manufacturing enterprises, since it served as a tool for increasing product sales. During this period, industrial design began to focus strictly on fulfilling commercial objectives and market needs. In this regard, design has largely been reduced to the simple external design of an object. This period is associated with the names of such artists and designers as Raymond Loewy, Walter Dorwin Tiig and Henry Dreyfus.

Industrial design received a new round of development after World War II, when the ability to transform industrial products into aesthetic works of art became an indicator of the level of economic development. Industrial design in the second half of the last century quickly became an important tool in the competition among the world's leading manufacturers. Realizing the importance of this area, in 1969 a college of industrial design was even created in America.

The principles of industrial design, as a creative human activity aimed at improving the external properties of industrially produced products, have become widely used in the countries of Western Europe and Scandinavia. In Europe, the Ulm School played a special role in the development of industrial design, which became one of the main centers for the development of the theoretical foundations of modern industrial art. In the post-war years, separate, national schools of industrial design emerged in Europe - Italian, Scandinavian and others.

Nowadays, when designing industrial products, the designer deals with concepts such as fashion or the lifestyle of potential consumers of the product. Also, when designing household items, product sales issues come to the fore, as a result of which the design often takes on a pronounced commercial character. However, when creating the design of industrial objects (agricultural equipment, machine tools), technical requirements still dominate: ergonomics, manufacturability, efficiency and environmental safety. It is impossible to ignore these factors, since the production environment formed with the participation of these objects must be comfortable for humans, including visually. Thus, the specifics of modern industrial design are very closely related to the nature of the products being created.

Designers working in this area must have knowledge of both a graphic designer, a designer, and a process engineer. Only such cumulative knowledge allows us to embody creative ideas and create interesting, original products, without compromising their functionality. During the artistic design process, the designer forms a main idea, develops a concept, then works with sketches to present the product layout.

Next, modeling is carried out in three-dimensional space and visualization of the object using specialized software. Only after this the actual design and creation of a prototype product is carried out. An industrial designer organizes his work in such a way that the product sample he develops, having gone through all the above stages, meets his primary plan and at the same time can be introduced into production without any delays.

Today, industrial design is widely used in a variety of fields, from the woodworking industry and metallurgy to the field of high technology. In general, the wide range of services provided by professional industrial designers can range from designing housewares to creating car concepts. Molds, housings and parts - an industrial designer has to work with all this. The main task at the present stage of development of industrial design is to create a memorable and at the same time ergonomic appearance of the product while maintaining its technological and functional qualities.

Interior design, interfaces, virtual reality, interiors, clothing. Industrial, graphic, industrial design - this profession has dozens of specializations, and therefore dozens of categories of specialists. Professional specialization leaves an imprint on the employee’s capabilities: a web interface designer will not be able to visualize a residential building project in 3D and create a concept for a future car unless he acquires additional skills. This profession is covered in many rumors, myths and stereotypes. Let's find out the truth about her.

Designer - who is it? Description of the profession

A designer is a specialist in creating models of the surrounding reality. It can be real or virtual, it can be brought to life or remain a concept.

The designer does not draw - the artists draw. At the same time, he uses drawing as a tool to visualize ideas and projects.

The main difference between a specialist and an artist is the practical application of his work. A painter can depict any surreal interior and he doesn’t care what furniture is placed there or how. The designer pursues other goals - people will live in the interiors he designs.

Therefore, to obtain a profession, it is not enough to graduate from art school - you need vocational training and specialization. At the same time, society is constantly trying to level out the value of a specialist’s skills, because every second person is “his own designer.” People take 2-week courses, master the basic functionality of the 3D max program and create interiors that are impossible to live in. Customers pay for their work, see the horror on the builders’ faces and receive uncomfortable, non-functional, impractical premises, losing confidence in the profession. If you decide to get a specialty and show professionalism, you may join the fight for quality design, which is so lacking in all spheres of human life.

Types of design and responsibilities of specialists

The designer’s range of tasks is limited not only by his professional skills, but also by his chosen specialization. Of course, you can master 2, 3 or more areas, but this is extremely difficult to do. Do you often meet surgeons who are also pediatricians? Most likely no. Although both specialists are doctors, the area of ​​activity determines the specialist’s responsibilities. It’s the same in design. The most popular specializations are:

• Interior designer. By profession, ordinary people understand the ability to select and beautifully arrange furniture in a room. Sometimes - choose wallpaper. “Specialists” who have completed 10-day courses see this in their tasks. In fact, the profession of an interior designer is much more complicated. The ideal direction for training is designer-architect. The interior is everything that's inside. Not only furniture and decoration, but also lighting, communications, architectural groups. A specialist must create not only a beautiful, but also a functional interior. He must consider the finishing, furniture, location of lighting fixtures, passage of communications and installation of equipment. He must develop the concept of a room in which it will be convenient to live or work, which will solve the assigned tasks.
• Web designer or interface designer. One of the most in demand professions. Have you noticed how websites on the same topic with approximately the same structure can differ from each other? On some, everything is clear and accessible, on others, it is impossible to find the necessary information, and even a phone number. Design is the first thing a user sees on a website, a visual reflection of the functionality and positioning of a web resource. Here it is not enough to create a beautiful picture - it is important to consider how the site will be laid out when transferring the layout to the frontend developer, how user-friendly it will be, how the functionality will be implemented, how the company’s corporate style will be presented, and how page conversion will be achieved. The profession of a web designer requires an understanding of the principles of the site and the implementation of options. Here you need not so much to be able to draw beautifully, but to know the basics of development. It is very important to be able to communicate not only with clients, but also with programmers.
• Graphic Designer. De facto, this is the specialist who creates the shell. Typography, corporate identity and logos, navigation systems, visual solutions for packaging and media are the most popular areas of activity. The key task of the shell is to fulfill its purpose. Attract, sell, promote the brand. At the same time, it is necessary to remember the practical significance of each item. How convenient this packaging for chocolate or a box for chocolates will be, how it will be implemented in industry, whether the selected colors and fonts will be pleasing to the eye of the beholder, whether the corporate style will become recognizable - all this depends on the specialist, his talent and professionalism.
• Landscape designer. In fact, he also performs the tasks of the designer, being responsible for the complex creation of the landscape. And at the same time, it is necessary to possess the skills of an agronomist, engineer and artist. How convenient will the landscape be from a practical point of view, how will communications flow, will the given aesthetics be individual and harmonious, will the flowers, trees and shrubs recommended for planting eventually take root - a specialist must answer each of these questions.
• Industrial designer. This is industrial design, which is responsible for the implementation of projects for large-scale production. A striking example is the automotive industry. Once a car's design is developed, it will influence the fate of millions of people who buy it from the manufacturer. Here it is important to take into account not only aesthetics, but also engineering systems, ergonomics, practicality, and compliance with functional features. Industrial design is inseparable from reality even when creating concepts for which science has not yet found the necessary tools for implementation.

These are just the most popular and sought-after destinations. The design certainly doesn't end there.

Moreover, many areas are just emerging and will receive intensive development. If a fashion designer (clothing designer) is the present, then the creator of a virtual habitat is the near future. Each of the areas of the profession is relevant and promising. According to experts, interest in specialties will only continue to grow in the coming years.

Where to get a designer profession? TOP 5 Universities

It wouldn't hurt to graduate from art school, but if you didn't do it in a timely manner, it's okay. It will provide significant advantages only before admission, where drawing and composition are usually included as an exam. However, many universities are moving away from this - it is necessary to clarify the list of entrance tests in advance. To obtain a professional education, it is better to choose a reputable university that provides training in specific areas.

1. St. Petersburg State University.
2. Moscow State University named after Lomonosov.
3. St. Petersburg Institute of Design and Arts.
4. Moscow University of Design and Business.
5. St. Petersburg Polytechnic University.

The rating should not be taken as the ultimate truth, since much depends on the specialization. It is better to study interior design at a university with an emphasis on IT, web interfaces - with an emphasis on IT, clothing - with an emphasis on creative and artistic specialties. At the same time, the authority of domestic universities does not determine future success, which cannot be said about. Fashion designers trained in France and Italy, or industrial design specialists trained in Germany, have significant employment advantages.

What personal qualities should you have?

• Logical thinking. You will not create a picture, but projects of reality. Therefore, it is important to be able to think logically and take into account many aspects within the framework of specialization.
• Individuality. It combines with creativity and helps generate unique ideas that make your design individual and recognizable.
• Attentiveness. One mistake made in web design will result in sleepless weeks for the layout designer, and in creating interiors - a complete violation of its functionality.
• Perseverance. You won't become an artist who can wait years for inspiration - you will work within a strictly defined deadline. Therefore, it is important to have perseverance and efficiency.
• Developed intelligence. It is important to be able to penetrate the direction in which you are engaged and understand what will reflect and visualize your design.

How to build a career and achieve success

The presentation of a profession immediately loses its attractiveness and the image of “pure creativity” if it is filled with semantic realities. Think about the meaning behind a typical large company logo, as it is a very expensive corporate property (think Nike or Mercedes-Benz). Behind the approved picture are the most complex marketing research, analysis or creation of a corporate identity, dozens of ideas thrown into the trash and hundreds of sketches.

You can do this only if you do not create illusions and perceive the design as a picture. You need to receive a quality education within the chosen field and continue learning throughout your life. It is necessary to master a lot of software and technical tools, in particular illustrators and visualizers - specialists have not worked with paper for a long time.

Ideally, if you manage to get an education at an elite foreign university. If not, settle for an affordable university or college, continue your professional development, and strive to gain as much experience as possible. Learn from your own mistakes, don’t stay in one job, attend seminars and trainings, and take part in professional competitions. Connect with the global community, explore trends and trends while maintaining your own individuality.

Pros and cons of the designer profession

This specialty has many advantages and disadvantages. Many of them are conditional, most apply only to employees with little experience or frankly average qualifications. That is why we will pay attention to the average pros and cons in order to be at least somewhat objective in the analysis.

pros designer professions:

• A sought-after, relevant and promising profession.
• Decent wages for qualified specialists.
• Unlimited opportunities for making good money freelancing.
• Interesting, somewhat creative work.
• A real opportunity to improve the surrounding reality.

Minuses designer professions:

• Complex work that requires industry understanding.
• Often subjective, incompetent assessment of work.
• Low salaries for specialists without a name, qualifications, or experience.
• Lack of instructions for solving specific problems.
• Almost always long working hours.

It is worth noting that it is subjective assessment that is noted by most experts as a key drawback of the profession.

Even with extensive experience and high qualifications, you will constantly encounter misunderstandings on the part of customers, engineers and builders. Even specialists whose works have been repeatedly noted by the world community cannot avoid this.

How much do designers earn in Russia and abroad?

Salary depends on the field of profession, experience, degree of proficiency in software and technical tools, region, personal brand and many other factors.

The amount in any case will be the “average temperature in the hospital.” However, indicators can serve as guidelines. On average, Russian specialists receive 33-35 thousand rubles, in Moscow - 37-43 thousand, in the regions the minimum wage is 12-15 thousand rubles.

Interface designers (90-100 thousand) earn the most, followed by 3D designers (93 thousand), web designers (85 thousand), interior designers (73 thousand), furniture (65 thousand) and landscape designers (62 thousand). Specialists from European countries almost always earn more. If we consider the same interface designer, then in the USA he receives on average 3 thousand dollars a month, in Canada - 2.7 thousand, in Germany 3.9 thousand euros.

Summary

When students in grades 7-9 write an essay on the topic “My future profession is a designer,” they do not always realize the completeness of the specialist’s tasks. Before entering a university, study the pros and cons. Understand that this is not only drawing - it is, first of all, designing reality, real or virtual. This is complex work that often does not receive an objective assessment. You will need experience, constant training and long-term work on your personal brand to succeed.

Evgenia Melnikova

Editor of the Info-Profi portal, teacher with 16 years of experience, practicing tutor.

Industrial design (industrial design, object design, industrial design) is a branch of design, an area of ​​artistic and technical activity, the purpose of which is to determine the formal qualities of industrially produced products, namely, their structural and functional features and appearance.

The first industrial designers appeared in the 18th century in England, which is associated primarily with the activities of Josiah Wedgwood and the development of industrial production of printed fabrics.

The definition of “industrial design” appeared in 1919 thanks to the German architect Walter Gropius, who founded the revolutionary Bauhaus school of industrial design in Weimar (Germany).

After the Second World War, industrial design received serious development in Scandinavia and the Netherlands. Around the same time, pragmatic Americans expressed interest in the direction - in order to increase sales. In the 60s of the 20th century, the direction became so popular in the USA that the College of Industrial Design was organized. In 1969, a member of this board, Thomas Maldonado, gave a very succinct definition of industrial design: “Industrial design is a creative activity aimed at improving the external advantages of objects produced in industry.”

Development stages.

Typically, industrial design development includes the following steps

idea generation

conceptual development

sketching

prototyping

3D modeling

visualization

design

prototyping

Industrial design as an activity includes elements of art, marketing and technology. Industrial design covers a wide range of objects, from household utensils to high-tech, knowledge-intensive products. In the traditional sense, industrial design tasks include prototyping household appliances, production plants and their interfaces, ground and air transport (including cars, planes, trains), and various equipment.

Changing under the influence of time, cultural references and the needs of people, using the latest advances in technology and materials, industrial design has become a means of “giving multifaceted high quality to objects, processes, services, systems throughout their life cycles.”

The theorists of VNIITE, having specified the essence of industrial design, noted that it is aimed at “the comprehensive formation of various objects - products, structures and systems - of such functional properties that ensure high quality of use of objects, and cultural properties that ensure compliance of objects with aesthetic criteria, value orientations people, their ethnic and other sociocultural characteristics."

Being at its core a synthesis of artistic design and ergonomics, industrial design is:

as a stage of the production process,

as scientific activity, the continuous search for innovation in technologies and materials,

as art, since “formal, visual, aesthetic and conceptual elements are the dominant tools for this area of ​​design activity.”

Visually, these components are presented in Fig. 1.

Rice. 1.1

As a scientific activity, industrial design creates functional priorities in engineering, network cooperation, technology transfer and personnel training. Design as an art supports social priorities by producing inclusive innovations used to benefit society. Guided by thematic priorities, technological and non-technological innovations are created within the framework of project activities to increase economic efficiency and extract innovation rent.

Experimenting with household and industrial appliances, production plants and transport, furniture and equipment, kitchen utensils, designers sometimes change the structural and functional features of objects beyond recognition. In this case, the vector is aimed, first of all, at changing the objective world, and only then at people.

The fundamental trend of the modern industrial design industry is to combine, on the basis of one enterprise, all stages of the development and introduction of an innovative product to the market. This feature is most clearly demonstrated by the example of large manufacturing companies in China. Guided by the principle of “design thinking”, manufacturers can develop, present and release a fundamentally new product to the world market in the shortest possible time. Such unified companies offer their clients a wide range of diverse services:

Design specialists identify the value of individual products and services, develop branding strategies, build a product line portfolio, develop action programs and manage the project to introduce new products into production (and sale).

To better understand the consumer, a thorough analysis of people’s daily lives is carried out, trends in cultural development are identified, video ethnography is carried out, and specific models for using a particular product are developed.

In the process of developing innovative products, the architecture and design of the product are determined, 3D models are built, and industrial graphics are developed.

A number of European companies work according to a similar scheme, such as Smart design, Design Continuum, fuseproject, IDEO, ZIBA, whose employees “invest all their experience and knowledge, as well as creativity and design intuition, into the implementation of purely strategic tasks related to the development of new products".

E. Khramkova, head of the business development department of Product Development Group SmirnovDesign, notes: “There is an obvious tendency to turn to design at much earlier stages of developing a new product - a striking contrast compared to previous business models, when the designer was given an order from the marketing departments, advertising and technical support for the project.” Thus, a need is emerging for a fundamentally new type of industrial designer - he must be able to synthesize and interpret numerous information and, based on it, develop a unified design concept. This level of training is well done in higher educational institutions in Japan and China, Holland, Italy and France, where the learning process is directly related to the engineering field and real production. The training of Russian students in the specialty “industrial design” does not yet meet this standard, however, a number of measures are being taken at the state level to improve educational processes.

The domestic industrial design market can be estimated at a little more than 2-2.5 million dollars. This is very little, so we can say that there is practically no “industrial design” market in Russia.

Today there are about ten specialized companies on the market: Smirnov Design, FormLab, Art-up, Design-Works and others.

The first five, already relatively established in the market, do ~50 projects a year. In contrast to the Western experience, where the regular cost of an industrial design project is 100-200 thousand dollars (judging by analytics, at least 75 thousand dollars), the domestic one is an order of magnitude less - on average ~ 20 thousand dollars. There are, of course, , and rare orders worth 400-500 thousand dollars, but they, as a rule, include a significant amount of analytical and production parts (up to 80%). That. The volume of the market for industrial design services of private companies can be estimated at ~2-2.5 million dollars.

Rice. 1.2 Potential of the industrial design market of the Russian Federation (Source: Center for Design Development "North-West" based on materials from Philip M. Parker, INSEAD and Yandex (yandex.ru)).

There is also a hidden part of the market: industrial design services can be provided by design companies that constantly serve the client, as well as freelancers.

For reference, in the United States the industrial design market volume exceeds $2 billion. Manufacturers pay great attention to the appearance of goods; the share of design in the cost of ordinary consumer goods is ~ 1-3%.

It is worth noting that the modern market is a world of “labels and packaging”. Often it is in a successful design and a fresh concept that the success of a product on the market lies (for example, Apple).

Today, increased competition in the market and the dominance of imported, mainly low-quality Chinese goods, are forcing manufacturers to take a more serious approach to the production process. Domestic manufacturers have finally come to understand the need to keep a “connection with the market” and focus on its needs, creating a competitive product.

Until recently, the appearance of a product was mainly dealt with by production designers, who, firstly, “cooked in their own juice”, not always having a specialized education, and secondly, focused only on current production capabilities, which did not contribute to the creation innovative and competitive products.

Today, the first professional companies engaged in industrial design have appeared, in addition, some design firms have begun to declare their capabilities in this market.

The problem of uncompetitiveness of domestic products has also been addressed at the state level. The head of the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade, German Gref, and First Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov began work on a concept for the development of industrial design in Russia. According to the minister, the department decided to engage in design because “Russian goods of good quality are inferior in many respects” in their appearance, and this prevents them from being promoted in the domestic and foreign markets.” The concept provides for measures of state support for design services, as well as deductions of expenses for industrial design from the tax base, and direct government financing of such expenses for small businesses.

In order for industrial managers to understand the importance of design, it is planned to create specialized advisory organizations. The services of these “design development centers” will be partially paid for by the state. Design development may be included in the activities that allow enterprises to qualify as residents of state-funded technology parks. To solve the personnel problem, it is proposed to introduce retraining courses for university teachers, scholarship and grant programs, as well as to promote internships for design students abroad.

Government support will undoubtedly contribute to significant growth in the industrial design market. In addition, the cost of services of Russian designers will be lower than similar projects abroad, which will undoubtedly stimulate demand.

Main “market difficulties”

The main thing is the serious lag of the industrial sector and, accordingly, industrial design from Western countries, which, first of all, is a legacy of the planned economy of the USSR, when the first priority was to provide the country with everything necessary and there was no talk of competition and development.

Besides:

• 1. The thinking of manufacturers who do not want to invest in creating a modern competitive design. Today, the emphasis from the industrial sphere has been shifted to advertising, which is clearly wrong, since the product to a large extent must promote itself, initially suit the consumer, and please him. This requires research, it requires design, it requires testing, new ideas.
• 2. The habit of creating design within the enterprise, and not outsourcing to professionals.
• 3. Low level of design education.
• 4. “Brain drain.” Western companies hold competitions among our industrial designers, many of whom are subsequently offered work or good remuneration. In the West today, design of a social theme (urban environment), developments in the field of medicine, technology (including special equipment and military) are in great demand; these are government orders, and young talented designers are attracted for them.

The trend of locating manufacturing plants in Southeast Asia will only strengthen in the future. In this case, it will not be possible to avoid the leakage of ideas and technologies. In an effort to somehow protect against Chinese counterfeits, the following scheme is practiced: the manufacturer constantly releases new models with the old filling; While the Chinese are making an imitation of a well-known brand, the manufacturer of the original is already announcing that the model has been discontinued.

Often there is no big difference between versions of a product, only the design (ergonomics, materials, colors, textures) and minor details, while the production process itself does not change.

In addition, if the manufacturer does not constantly move forward, he will lose the competition. In the West, the manufacturer is interested in ensuring that its brand has a good reputation (it is of high quality, reliable and, if possible, cheap). The product must correspond to fashion trends and time, so you have to constantly change its image.