New visual elements of Industrial Design: surfaces and critique

Abstract

It is intended to investigate the main benefits, negatives, and challenges generated by the use of digital tools for creating products. We propose a conceptual framework which incorporates the main definitions concerning the discipline of design and its relationship to the material creation of form and meaning, addressing in turn these concepts through time and the profound changes generated by the introduction of technology to the projection process of the designer. We refer to these new visual elements of industrial design as all technical images (renderings, modeled) generated by using specific software as a vital part in the current industrial design methodology. It analyzes the relationship between design and new technologies, on the problem areas the loss of materiality, standardization and industrial design trend surface. The research raises finally a theoretical-critical to the practical development of the discipline today.