Industrial Design

Gestalt psychology

The idea that people perceive a product as a unified whole first, so a design’s overall form matters more than any single detail.

Law of Proximity

Controls or features placed close together are read as related (e.g., grouping volume buttons on a remote).

Law of Similarity

Matching shape, color, or texture signals that parts share a function or belong to the same product family.

Law of Closure

The eye completes implied forms, so a design can suggest a shape with gaps, seams, or negative space (e.g., a split line implying a lid).

Law of Continuity

The eye follows smooth lines, so flowing surfaces and aligned edges guide attention across a product.

Figure

Ground

Common Region

Features enclosed in the same panel, recess, or border are read as one functional group (e.g., a control cluster on a dashboard).

Symmetry

Balanced halves convey stability and order; deliberate asymmetry conveys dynamism or personality.

Prägnanz (Good Form)

People prefer the simplest, cleanest reading of a form, which is why minimal geometry feels resolved.

Visual hierarchy

Using size, contrast, and position so the most important feature is noticed first.

Visual weight

How heavy or dominant an element looks, influenced by size, color, and density.

Visual balance

The distribution of visual weight across a product so it feels stable rather than lopsided.

Gestalt in product families

Consistent proportions and details let users recognize a brand’s products as a set at a glance.

Max Wertheimer

Founder of Gestalt psychology, whose principles underpin visual composition in design.

CMF

Color, Material, Finish; the surface

Color theory

The principles of how colors interact, used to choose palettes that suit a product’s purpose and audience.

Hue

The pure color itself (red, blue, green).

Saturation

The intensity of a color; high saturation feels bold and playful, low feels refined or technical.

Value

How light or dark a color is; it controls contrast and how form and shadow read.

Complementary colors

Opposites on the color wheel, used for high

Analogous colors

Neighbors on the color wheel, used for harmonious, calm palettes.

Monochromatic scheme

Variations of one hue, giving a cohesive, premium look.

Accent color

A small area of contrasting color used to highlight a key feature or control.

Color

coding

Color psychology

How colors influence emotion and perception (blue = trust, red = urgency).

Pantone (PMS)

A standardized color

RAL

A European color standard commonly specified for paints and powder coating.

Munsell system

A color model describing color by hue, value, and chroma.

Colorway

A specific combination of colors in which a product is offered.

Metamerism

When two colors match under one light source but look different under another.

Material

The substance a product is made from (plastic, aluminum, wood), which shapes its feel, weight, and cost.

Finish

The surface treatment of a material (matte, gloss, brushed, anodized, textured).

Matte vs. gloss

Matte diffuses light and hides fingerprints; gloss reflects light and looks sleek but shows marks.

Anodizing

An electrochemical process that thickens aluminum’s oxide layer, adding durability and color.

Powder coating

A dry paint applied electrostatically and baked on for a tough, even finish.

Texture

The tactile or visual surface pattern of a product, such as knurling or grain.

Accessibility contrast

Sufficient difference between a control’s color and its background so users with low vision can read it.

Industrial design

The practice of designing manufactured products by balancing form, function, usability, and production.

Form

The shape and visual appearance of a product.

Function

What a product does and how well it does it.

Form follows function

The principle that a product’s shape should be determined by its purpose.

Ergonomics

Designing products to fit human bodies and capabilities for comfort and safety.

Human factors

The study of how people interact with products, used to reduce error and strain.

Anthropometrics

Measurements of human body dimensions used to size products.

Affordance

A property of an object that suggests how it can be used (a handle affords pulling).

Signifier

A visible cue that tells the user where or how to act on an affordance.

Usability

How easily and effectively a person can use a product.

User

centered design

Persona

A fictional profile representing a typical user, used to guide design decisions.

Design brief

A document defining the goals, constraints, audience, and deliverables of a project.

Ideation

The stage of generating many design ideas.

Thumbnail sketch

A small, quick sketch used to explore many concepts fast.

Rendering

A realistic image or drawing showing a product’s appearance, materials, and lighting.

Orthographic projection

A technical drawing showing a product from flat views (front, top, side) without perspective.

Isometric view

A 3D

Exploded view

A diagram showing a product’s parts separated to reveal how they assemble.

Mockup

A static, non

Prototype

A working or testable model used to evaluate a design before production.

Proof of concept

A prototype built to show that an idea is technically feasible.

Iteration

Repeating a cycle of designing, testing, and refining.

Form study

An exploration of shape and proportion, often in foam or clay.

Design language

A consistent set of visual and formal traits that make a brand’s products recognizable.

Aesthetics

The visual and sensory appeal of a product.

Semantics (product)

The meaning a product’s form communicates (e.g., ‘rugged,’ ‘friendly,’ ‘precise’).

Proportion

The relative sizes of a product’s parts to each other and to the whole.

Radius (fillet)

A rounded edge or corner, used for comfort, safety, and manufacturability.

Chamfer

A beveled edge cut at an angle.

Parting line

The seam where two halves of a mold meet, visible on molded parts.

Draft angle

A slight taper on molded or cast surfaces so the part releases from the mold.

Wall thickness

The thickness of a part’s walls; it must be consistent for good molding.

Tolerance

The allowable variation in a part’s dimensions.

Injection molding

A process of injecting molten plastic into a mold, used for mass production.

CNC machining

Computer

3D printing (additive manufacturing)

Building parts layer by layer from a digital model.

Sheet metal forming

Cutting and bending flat metal sheets into shapes.

DFM

Design for Manufacturing; designing parts so they are easy and cheap to produce.

DFA

Design for Assembly; designing products so they are easy to put together.

Sustainability (design)

Designing to reduce environmental impact through material choice, durability, and recyclability.

Lifecycle

All stages of a product’s existence, from raw materials to disposal.

Bill of materials (BOM)

A list of every part and material needed to build a product.

Mood board

A collage of images, colors, and textures that sets the visual direction of a project.

CAD

Computer

SolidWorks / Fusion 360

Popular parametric CAD programs for engineering

Rhino

A NURBS

Parametric modeling

Modeling where dimensions and relationships are stored, so changing one value updates the whole model.

NURBS

Mathematical curves and surfaces used to create smooth, precise freeform shapes.

Polygon (mesh) modeling

Building shapes from vertices, edges, and faces; common in animation and sculpting.

Sketch (2D profile)

A flat drawing in CAD that is extruded, revolved, or swept into a 3D form.

Extrude

A CAD operation that pushes a 2D profile into a 3D solid.

Revolve

A CAD operation that spins a profile around an axis to create a round solid.

Assembly

A CAD file combining multiple parts and defining how they fit and move.

Mate (constraint)

A rule that locks parts together in an assembly (e.g., coincident, concentric).

Rendering software

Programs like KeyShot that create photorealistic images from 3D models.

Adobe Illustrator

Vector graphics software used for line art, logos, and technical illustration.

Adobe Photoshop

Raster image editor used for sketch rendering, mockups, and presentations.

Vector graphics

Images made of mathematical paths that scale without losing quality.

Raster graphics

Images made of pixels that lose quality when enlarged.

STEP (.step / .stp)

A neutral 3D CAD file format for sharing models between different programs.

STL (.stl)

A mesh file format used for 3D printing.

IGES (.iges)

An older neutral CAD format for exchanging surface and curve data.