Ten Industrial Design Trends You Can't Ignore

published Sep 16, 2007
Ten Industrial Design Trends You Cant Ignore
Trends slip through the industrial design world like threads through a loom.

"On some levels, design is always in transition," says Steve McCallion, executive creative director of Portland, Ore.-based Ziba Design.

"It's a series of trends and countertrends."

But even though things change quickly, experts say certain trends are sure to be particularly important over the coming year.

Today's most dominant industrial design trend has no less lofty a goal than saving the Earth.

Ami Verhalen, director of industrial design at Madison, Wis.- based Design Concepts, says consumers are increasingly interested in green, environmentally friendly products.

So designers like Yves B�har for Herman Miller and Harry Bertoia are designing eco-friendly products like an energy-saving desk light and a sustainable outdoor chair, respectively.

Consumers aren't the only ones taking a closer look at the size of their environmental footprint.

Manufacturers are increasingly using sustainable materials, focusing on cleaning up the production process and considering the environmental impact of shipping and production.

In furniture design, for example, products certified by the International Forest Stewardship Alliance are made by manufacturers that make the best use of forest resources, reducing damage and waste and avoiding over-consumption and over-harvesting.