As we move into an era of digitalization and informationization, the discipline of Industrial Design has undergone profound changes. The education system that was shaped since the end of the Second World War was centered around the training of design for the appearances of consumer products. It is starting to experience transformations and breakthroughs towards two directions: the interdisciplinary turn to digital technologies, and a new mindset which integrates artificial intelligence into product design.

The digitalization era is characterized by the constant iteration of design, research and manufacturing methodologies: digital simulation technologies have greatly accelerated and broadened product development, because approaches including parametric design and reverse engineering can now virtualize the traditional development process of the physical product appearances and their mechanical structures. Furthermore, other cutting-edge technologies, for example, emotional computing and flexible manufacturing, have opened up vast possibilities for the development and manufacturing of product functionalities.

The establishment of the Industrial Design (Smart Design) program at the School of Creativity and Art is an answer to the development of the new era. Built upon the foundation of such information science and technologies as digital technologies and human-computer interaction, with the care for user experience at its core, our education equally emphasizes the perception, expression, and physical realization of design. From the very conception of this program, the curriculum integrates smart technologies and industrial design. The program is also committed to enriching students' humanistic and artistic qualities. The purpose is to cultivate a new generation of designers and design researchers who create products for the future. As we take strides towards this cutting-edge and unchartered territory in education, we hope to obtain the best results by integrating all kinds of resources.

WANG Shouzhi

  Vice Dean, School of Creativity and Art