Industrial Sketching

One aesthetic I enjoy is industrial design/sketching. The clean lines and varying perspectives are delightful to look at. I hope to utilize this style for my first project by doing a lot of sketches beforehand. This will allow me to have a very good final design that is properly thought out, but very artistic.

ChatGPT provided these facts about the aesthetic of industrial sketching: “The industrial design sketching aesthetic gained prominence in the late 20th century, rooted in modernism and Bauhaus principles that emphasized minimalism, functionality, and the seamless integration of form and purpose. Pioneers such as Raymond Loewy and Dieter Rams, alongside influential companies like Braun, Apple, and later IDEO, helped establish this style as a cornerstone of industrial design. The focus on clean lines, dynamic shapes, and user-centered design reflected the growing demand for products that were both visually appealing and highly functional. This aesthetic has since influenced a wide range of fields, including automotive design, consumer electronics, and architecture, and continues to inspire contemporary practices with its emphasis on sustainability, innovation, and the interplay between technology and human experience.” (7)

Now that the background of this unique aesthetic has been provided, I find it more pertinent to speak on how the aesthetic makes one feel. Personally, I find the drawing style inspiring. It makes me feel like I can just draft up any crazy machine or object I can think of. I love the idea of thinking of a form or a product and being able to put it down onto paper for everyone else to see. The emotions I feel from this are excitement, hope, and a flood of creativity. As an engineer, we all love to bring the ideas in our mind to live. This aesthetic is the pinnacle of that idea; dreaming up any idea, no matter how ridiculous, and making it physical. It is also interesting how broad of an aesthetic this is. It can be applied to almost any industry, as long as physical objects exist in it.

Overall, I’m glad I found this aesthetic, as it has inspired me not only for this class and its upcoming project, but many more to come. I think it will be fun to practice drawing like this in order to get better at making my ideas happen. When a product idea is put down on paper like this, all of a sudden it feels a lot more real and attainable. I hope this aesthetic has inspired you in the same way.

The below images (in order) are by Mark Tran on behance (1), Cari Sketchmyworld on qishi (2 and 4), and coroloft (3), Roshan Hakkim on behance (5), and again from coroloft (6).

(1) http://www.behance.net/gallery/MARBLE-TABLE-SKETCHES-WIP-2014/14561869

(2) qishi.neikuniu.cn

(3) https://www.pinterest.com/pin/483503709967086418/#:~:text=Save-,coroflot,-.com

(4) same as 2

(5) http://www.behance.net/gallery/Sketchfolio-2011/2725439

(6) https://www.pinterest.com/pin/483503709967086202/#:~:text=Save-,coroflot,-.com

(7) OpenAI. ChatGPT. Version 4. OpenAI, 22 Jan. 2025.