Industrial design

Industrial design, expression of the special relationship between the artist, the consumer, and the manufacturer in a developed, industrialized society. Its origins lie in the Industrial Revolution of the late 18th century, which began to link mass production with a powerful new form of distribution, the steam train, and with a growing consumer-oriented community. Its full expression is everywhere present—from the mass-produced automobile to the mass-produced ready-to-wear suit. Slowly but certainly, the craftsperson, whose products were based on an individual relationship with the consumer, has all but disappeared.