A Look Back At Design In 2021 And What We Can Expect In 2022

As the new year arrives, we’re looking back at the best industrial and product design from 2021 and what we can expect to see in 2022. 

Whether you’re a keen design fan or not, looking back at the design trends in the past is a great way to understand what happened in the year. 2021 saw a rise in a range of different product design niches, but will these survive in 2022?

 From minimalist approaches to a rise in eco-manufacturing, some innovative changes are happening in the product design world. We’ve rounded up the key 2021 product design trends and we’ve predicted some trends for 2022. 

 Keep on reading to explore which product design trends are popular right now.

A Push For Sustainability

It seems that in 2020 and 2021 both consumers and producers have started to appreciate the need to keep the community and the ecosystem healthy. There’s been an impressive push for sustainable practices and products in a wide range of industries, including the design sphere. 

Now more than ever, consumers are championing better sustainability practices and brand transparency from the companies they buy from. If your manufacturing processes are hidden and your materials unethical, you might need to make changes within your design business. Thanks to social media and being more aware of environmental impacts, consumers are more educated on the environmental impacts of design and they want to put their money into more ethical companies. 

In studies performed in 2020, over 70% of consumers said that they would spend more money to buy products from sustainable companies instead of opting for cheaper options. This is something that had great influence over the direction in which industrial design went in 2021, as industrial design brands had to move with the times and embrace environmental solutions.

How Can Companies Meet New Consumer Demands?

2021 showed us that automotive design can benefit from industrial design techniques, after all, a vehicle is only a product you sit in (and drive).

Rivian; an electric vehicle startup company backed by Amazon and Ford, embodies this with its balanced use of form, function and minimalism through UCD.

User-centred design (UCD) was a big part of product design this year, as more and more manufacturers are doing elaborate user research in their product development process. In an era where we are more connected than ever, designers need to focus on the desires of their audience to succeed. 

Likely, industrial product design based on sustainability and UCD will only grow from 2022 onwards. This is, of course, a good thing!

The Rise Of Organic Minimalism

During the entire year of 2021 where sustainability was a big thing, many manufacturers also chose to concentrate on minimalism. Bold colours and strong lines were a favourite in 2019, however, recently, consumers now pay more attention to the materials their products are made from than the flamboyant aesthetic design. 

Perhaps the pandemic made us look inward, or maybe we all finally had time to watch the Minimalism documentary on Netflix, but maximalism is out and simplicity and long-lasting design is in. This is why this past year in industrial design was all about products with simple formulas, less chemicals, and products that are sustainable and ethical. This led to a change in product design. Minimalism focuses on simple designs, but premium materials dominated the market. When it comes to minimalism, “quality over quantity” is the golden rule.

How Are Brands Adopting Minimalist Design?

It seemed that in 2021 consumers didn’t want confusing maximalist designs, which is why simple industrial design options were in demand. For example, there was Quip’s toothbrush design. This minimalist dental tool is simple, minimalist, and effective. It’s not complicated and it focuses on the quality of the product, ideal for anyone who wants a reliable and trustworthy option. 

However, competition in the market is another big thing when it comes to product design. If consumers are frustrated with an overwhelming number of choices, they would simply search for better options with a better user design and experience. This is where we should take into consideration the overwhelming success of Apple product design.

 Apple products are still at the forefront of many markets. From phones to high-tech watches, this company is a master at minimal product design. The design they stick to is to have a finite number of options for their products, plus they’re extremely recognisable. This makes it much quicker and easier to decide which of the limited number of phones you like from Apple, a much easier process than trawling through thousands of Androids.

Maybe the minimalist aesthetic isn’t for you, but we all have to admit that when it comes to sophisticated and sustainable product design these brands are doing well. This is a trend that isn’t going to go away anytime soon.

The Influence of Dieter Rams

Speaking of Apple’s industrial design, we have to mention Dieter Rams and his philosophy of designing with purpose. Alongside sustainability and minimalism, Dieter Rams’ philosophy of product design and his aesthetic influence is still one of the things that keeps Apple products at the forefront of modern product design. 

During his long career, Dieter Rams contributed marvels of industrial design that fused functionality with beauty and made it accessible to the masses. Accessibility and affordable design are some of the biggest driving factors for user-centred design and more sustainable products. 

As one of the biggest patrons of Ram's philosophy, Jony Ive was in 1977 appointed by Steve Jobs to lead the industrial design team at Apple. He was always compelled by how extremely well made and simple to use all of Rams’ products were. This encouraged him to pursue a similar approach to designing the products at Apple

What Can We Look Forward to in 2022?

Wondering which design trends will take the product and industrial design industry by storm this year? Here’s what we can expect for 2022.

Green Design Options

Currently, there are many products to choose from in any design category and consumers have more choices than ever. To make sales, companies have to stand out from other brands and get the target audience’s attention. With more and more consumers striving toward simplicity and sustainability, manufacturers will have to try even harder in the oncoming years. 

We can expect a huge increase in “sustainable” product design, but the products that will thrive the most will use eco-materials and ethical production as this is what the majority of the market is now asking for. Their designs will also have to be functional and personable for the product to be appealing to the consumer. Customers want product design that makes their life easier, so this is an area designers should focus on. This is what will be required to attract consumers. 

This is why every product needs to explore a story or message through design. With the current focus on sustainability, most of the population is now educated about the damage we have already caused to the planet’s ecosystem. This is why energy-efficient materials and production systems are the only methods that will survive in the future. The manufacturers are increasingly concerned with the energy consumption during production and in turn, consumers are increasingly aware of their carbon footprint.

Minimalist And Simple Designs

As we’ve already discussed, minimalism and simplified designs will continue to be big in 2022. Though some design sectors, such as interior design, have seen a rise in some maximalist aesthetics, industrial design and product design will focus on minimalist solutions.

 

CAD Products

Along with the minimalistic design and focus on efficiency, computer-aided engineering is another technology that manufacturers are focused on as the year comes to a close. It allows designers to virtual prototype and improve their design to facilitate testing and online simulations. While it was initially available only to big companies, this was not the case in 2021. 

These virtual sampling methods are now increasingly available to smaller companies, allowing more designers to experiment with this modern tech. This helps to create efficient and error-free product designs. It also makes the designs possible in less time and at a lesser cost.

Nostalgic Product Design

Another forecasted trend is the rise of “nostalgic design”. This refers to product design that fuses modern techniques and retro aesthetics for new and improved versions of old products. The popularity of retro design tends to increase in times of uncertainty - such as the 2008/2009 recession and immediately after 9/11. The pandemic has left many of us spending more time at home, so it’s no surprise more consumers are purchasing products with a nostalgic feel to them as we look for extra comfort.

The Takeaway

Product design and industrial design will always change with the times. While design movements can be inspired by pop culture and current events, product designers tend to respond to the needs of the customers for a human-centred design approach. The design trends from 2021 are set to continue into 2022 and we can expect to enjoy some great new sustainable innovation. 

Do you think we need more sustainable product design? What’s your opinion on the minimalist trend? Tell us your opinion in the comments.