Design must be understood as a word that describes both a process and an outcome. It is the process of turning ideas into material things. The word design can be used with legitimacy in many activities, the design of a sales or financial plan, the design of a new organisation, or design for construction. Many individuals have followed a design process in the course of their everyday activities. At some level, it is a natural human ability along with the other innate capabilities such as communication and language.
Industrial Design is the term used when the activity is pressed into service as a formal part of a business enterprise dedicated to creating artefacts as a part of wealth creation. Prior to industrialisation, individuals undertaking design were craftsman, we might speculate on what expertise and knowledge those active in design might need in a future post industrialist age.
Currently, though, the activity of industrial design is generally linked to product development in a manufacturing context.
