Function, Aesthetics, and Values:Reframing the Definition of Industrial Design

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Department of Industrial Design, Faculty of Art, Alzahra University, Tehran, Iran

2 Department of Industrial Design, Iran University of Science and Technology, Tehran, Iran.

3 University Putra Malaysia (UPM), Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia.

Abstract

Industrial Design (ID) is currently grappling with a profound 'ontological drift,' as its boundaries expand into intangible service systems and digital territories. While this expansion reflects adaptability, it has triggered an identity crisis, diluting the discipline’s core expertise. This paper conducts a comparative analysis of canonical definitions (1959–2025) to identify critical gaps in current discourse, particularly the 'sustainability gap' and the 'technological reductionism' inherent in AI-driven design. To restore professional coherence, this study proposes a modernized, stabilized definition of ID. It introduces the 'Cybernetic Equalizer Model,' framing the designer not as a mere ‘maker of forms’ but as a mediator of perpetually competing forces, Function, Aesthetics, and Value, a balance rediscovered anew in every project, culture, and era. By re-anchoring the discipline as a 'Strategic Professional Service,' this framework provides an epistemological stabilizer for design education and practice in the post-disciplinary era, ensuring the profession's relevance against the challenge of generative automation. Crucially, this model operationalizes industrial design as the art and knowledge of shaping human experience through objects, grounding organizational strategy in enduring human values rather than tactical variables alone.

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References

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Journal of Design Thinking
Volume 7, Issue 1
June 2026
Pages 63-77

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