On the industrial design strategy of LED lamps

In the new wave of industrial revolution, it is an inevitable trend for LED lamps to replace existing gaseous lighting products as solid-state lighting products, and the replacement process is in full swing. However, in general, this replacement process has just begun. Incandescent lamps that have been used for hundreds of years are still widely used. It will take some time for LED lamps to be popularized. In addition, there are still many unfavorable factors, such as technical problems such as heat dissipation and light efficiency, cost price issues, user usage habits, etc. LED lamp manufacturers should of course strive to solve the above problems. At the same time, they should also pay attention to another important issue, which is the industrial design factor of LED lamps. LED lamps have realized the innovation of light sources, but how to achieve supporting innovations in materials, structures, and appearance lamps so that lamps can best reflect the effect of light sources and are more likely to be accepted by the majority of users is a topic worthy of attention. In terms of core technology, due to well-known reasons, general lighting manufacturers have limited room to play and it is difficult to achieve all-round development. However, in terms of industrial design, due to the diversity of market demands, most companies can fully demonstrate their talents and make lighting more material-saving, more environmentally friendly, and easier to use, thereby accelerating the popularization and application of LED lighting and making our living and working environment more low-carbon and beautiful.

　　1. It is a global consensus to rely on industrial design to increase product added value

　　Since its establishment in 1957, the International Federation of Societies of Industrial Design has organized researchers to define industrial design twice. The revised definition of industrial design announced at the 11th annual meeting held in 1980 is: "For mass-produced products, the new quality and qualifications given to materials, structures, constructions, forms, colors, surface processing and decoration by means of training, technical knowledge, experience and visual perception is called industrial design. According to the specific circumstances at the time, industrial designers should work on all or several aspects of the above-mentioned industrial products. Moreover, when industrial designers are required to contribute their technical knowledge, experience and visual evaluation ability to the solution of packaging, publicity, display, market development and other problems, it also falls within the scope of industrial design." The authoritative explanation of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology is that industrial design is an innovative activity that takes industrial products as the main object, comprehensively uses scientific and technological achievements and knowledge of engineering, aesthetics, psychology, economics, etc., to integrate and optimize the functions, structures, forms and packaging of products.

　　The core of industrial design is product design, which is widely used in light industry, textile, machinery, electronic information and other industries. The industrial design industry is an important part of the productive service industry, and its development level is one of the important signs of industrial competitiveness. Vigorously developing industrial design is an important means to enrich product varieties and increase product added value; it is an effective way to create independent brands and enhance industrial competitiveness; it is an objective requirement for transforming the economic development mode and expanding consumer demand. After conducting a large number of case analyses, the Beijing Industrial Design Promotion Association and the Beijing Technology Innovation and Productivity Promotion Center pointed out: "In high-tech industries, technology is the first competition, and the industrial design of products is the second competition. After mastering the technology, what follows is fierce competition for design and brand with a deep market color. In today's era of rapid technological development, the time interval between the two competitions is getting shorter and shorter. Many large international companies develop technology and industrial design in parallel under the long-term market strategy. When launching products, they have become mature products in the market in terms of application form and product appearance. my country's high-tech should learn and master this systematic method as soon as possible, and truly face international challenges with high-tech and high-design."

　　The actual benefits of industrial design for enterprises are well documented. The current popular Apple Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. of South Korea are both outstanding representatives who are ahead of their peers and lead the trend with industrial design. In the 1990s, Apple Inc. was almost on the verge of bankruptcy. It was the ingenious iMac that made Apple achieve glory again. The subsequent development of the iPod music player further sounded the strong voice of Apple's industrial design. The later iPhone made Apple's industrial design level and brand value reach the current peak stage, so that other digital products and even non-digital products such as lamps have also imitated its industrial design style. Samsung Electronics is the world's largest TV and mobile phone brand company. Industrial design is one of its magic weapons to catch up. Samsung Electronics' industrial design strategy is well known. "Samsung is a model of using design to improve brand value and expand market share." An expert from the School of Design at the Illinois Institute of Technology said. There are also many domestic companies that have achieved economic growth and enhanced brand value through industrial design, such as well-known companies such as Midea and Haier, as well as many small and medium-sized enterprises. Guangzhou Yichuang Technology Co., Ltd. is a professional and leading industrial design service company in China. It has been listed on the Shenzhen Small and Medium Enterprises Board and has welcomed visits from central leaders such as Wen Jiabao.

　　Most developed countries in the world have elevated industrial design to the level of national development strategy. Many countries have formulated national design revitalization policies to cultivate and support projects that are of medium- and long-term strategic development and that the design industry is unable to cope with. The government has played a major role in promoting the development of industrial design. On April 8 this year, the famous female politician and former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher passed away. She attended the British "Product Design and Market Success" Industrial Design High-level Seminar and emphasized: "Industrial design is the lifeblood of British industry. To Britain, this is more important than the prime minister's work to a certain extent." The British government has specially established the "British Design Committee" to carry out the "Design Consultant Program" and "Design Support Program" to gradually industrialize and integrate industrial design and maintain its global leading position. The United States is the first country to realize the professionalization of industrial design, and industrial design is closely integrated with the market. The application of design management in commercial competition has laid a good foundation for the upgrading of the American manufacturing industry. Germany is the birthplace of industrial design, with a sound education system and a high degree of popularization of industrial design education. In 1919, the Bauhaus Design School was established in Germany. Industrial design began to rise in Germany and became an industrial design center. With the subsequent Hannover Industrial Design Forum, Germany's Red Dot Industrial Design Award and iF Industrial Design Award, Germany's industrial design system has become world-renowned. Japan, which is famous for its automobiles and electrical appliances, has invested 2% of its GDP in industrial design development, ranking first in the world. The Ministry of International Trade and Industry of Japan has established a "Design Policy Office", under which is the "Industrial Design Promotion Association", and has designated October 1st of each year as "Japan Design Day", and has issued a national "Excellent Design Award". The Korean government invests 40 billion won every year to promote the development of the design industry. The "Industrial Design Promotion Institute" under the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy of South Korea has raised people's awareness of industrial design and developed industrial design as a separate industry. Every year, the national treasury allocates funds equivalent to more than 300 million yuan for demonstration, exchange, and selection of industrial design, promoting industrial design in all aspects, and selecting the Presidential Award every year. Looking at the world today, all countries and regions with strong design competitiveness have established industrial design awards organized by government or national design organizations, such as the Design Council Award in the UK, the GD Award in Japan, the IDEA Award in the United States, the IF Award in Germany, the Presidential Triennial Award in Italy, the DG Award in Denmark, the National Excellence Award in Taiwan, the General Chamber of Commerce Design Award in Hong Kong, and so on.

　　Industrial design was introduced into my country at the beginning of the reform and opening up. After 30 years of development, especially after entering the 21st century, it has attracted the attention of central and local government departments. In July 2001, the Industrial Design Branch of the Chinese Society of Mechanical Engineers and related professional institutions established the "China Product Innovation Design Award", which became the first national authoritative award in product design in my country and the only national award in the field of industrial design. The establishment of this product innovation design award marks the first time that my country's industrial design industry has stepped into the foreground after playing the role of a long-term behind-the-scenes hero. Since then, local government departments, academic institutions and well-known enterprises have taken actions to support and participate in the development of industrial design. Professional forums and academic conferences are held for a long time, such as the annual National Industrial Design Academic Annual Conference hosted by the Industrial Design Branch of the Chinese Society of Mechanical Engineers; industrial design exhibitions are held regularly in certain cities, such as the Wuxi China Industrial Design Festival and the Guangzhou Industrial Design Week; industrial design awards are regularly evaluated and awarded, such as the Red Star Award of the Beijing Industrial Design Promotion Center, the Red Cotton Award of the Guangdong Industrial Design Association, the China Industrial Design Top Ten Awards hosted by the China Industrial Design Association, and the most authoritative China Excellent Industrial Design Award hosted by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology in 2012; industrial design bases have been built and opened one after another, such as the Guangdong Industrial Design City, Qingdao Industrial Design Park, Ningbo Hefeng Industrial Design Plaza, etc.; industrial design competitions are held one after another, and almost all large and medium-sized cities with developed industries in the eastern coastal areas hold industrial design competitions regularly, and batches of excellent products have won awards and even entered the market. Local governments have also successively introduced policies and measures to promote the development of local industrial design industries. For example, the Ministry of Industry, Beijing, Guangdong, Zhejiang, Fujian, Shandong, Sichuan, etc. have all issued guiding opinions on promoting the development of industrial design industries. Industrial design talent cultivation is given more attention. The country holds industrial design education seminars in colleges and universities every year, and holds industrial design competitions for college students. Guangdong Province and Zhejiang Province have successively issued industrial designer professional assessment documents, and this profession has been standardized and recognized by the government. At the same time, China's industrial design industry has actively strengthened foreign exchanges. The Guangdong Industrial Design City in Shunde, a national industrial design demonstration base, has introduced famous design institutions from Japan and South Korea. The Shenzhen Industrial Design Association, named "Design City" by the United Nations, visited Nordic countries and signed cooperation documents.

　　In December 2012, Wang Yang, the current Vice Premier of the State Council and then Secretary of the Guangdong Provincial Party Committee, said during his visit to the Industrial Design Exhibition of the 6th Guangdong Industrial Design Week: Industrial design is definitely an important driver and measure for transformation and upgrading. Moreover, industrial design may be the measure with the lowest cost and the best effect in transformation and upgrading. In the same month, Xi Jinping, the newly appointed General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, visited the Guangdong Industrial Design City in Shunde District, Foshan City, and encouraged the further development of the industrial design industry.

　　It can be said that with the advancement of the so-called third industrial revolution, the intensification of world industrial competition, and the deepening of transformation and upgrading of Chinese enterprises, Chinese enterprises’ understanding of industrial design will continue to deepen, and China’s industrial design industry will usher in a new era.

　　Some people in China are keen on talking about core technologies. In fact, no matter whether the core technologies are in the hands of domestic or foreign enterprises, most enterprises still have no access to core technologies. The history of industrial development has proved that the core technologies at a certain stage can only be mastered by a few enterprises, which control the bulk of the industry profits. Most enterprises must rely on other means to obtain ideal profits. In addition to improving production management, marketing and other means, industrial design is a means that is both challenging and possible.

　　2. There is great potential for industrial design of lighting fixtures

　　According to long-term and extensive practical experience, there is a lot of room for industrial design to be implemented in light industry, especially in the field of household appliances, and the results are relatively outstanding. Indoor lamps in lighting appliances can basically be classified as household appliances, and there is a lot of room for industrial design to be implemented. In this regard, there is a lot of work to discover creativity, refine concepts, and develop new products.

　　From the perspective of various household daily necessities, lamps can be said to be the products that best reflect the achievements of industrial design. Speaking of appearance alone, the materials used in indoor lamps are very extensive, including metal, glass, plastic, leather, ceramics, cloth, paper, stone, plant materials and almost all other materials that can be used, and their colors can also be rich and colorful. As for their physical shapes, they have reached a level of thousands of poses, and can achieve all possible shapes according to different environments, different seasons, and various needs of different users. Whether it is geometric shapes in mathematics or physical shapes in real life, they can be presented brilliantly on lamps. They can meet the individual preferences of different users, reflect the cultural customs of different regions, and reflect the artistic ideas of different schools. These are absolutely unmatched by other household items. What is even more unique is that the exquisitely designed lamps are decorations during the day and light up the lights at night. The materials, colors and shapes of the lamps can complement each other with the lights tacitly, making the silent and fixed lamp entities active, smart and elegant, which can be said to be radiant and full of charm. In the light, the elegant crystal lamp reflects graceful figures, the antique sheepskin lamp projects traditional style, and the elegant and unique modern lamp reflects ease and comfort. All of this shows the infinite charm of industrial design, the inseparable relationship between lamps and industrial design, and the greater possibility of lamps implementing industrial design.

　　Although our current indoor lamps can be customized at will, this does not mean that the industrial design of lamps has reached its peak, nor does it mean that the industrial design of lamps is impeccable. Industry professionals who have participated in the Milan Home Furnishings Exhibition in Italy and the Frankfurt Lighting Appliance Exhibition in Germany know that there are very few Chinese-made lamps that can appear at these exhibitions, because the design level of our lamps cannot meet the requirements of these exhibitions for independent originality. The industrial design level of European and American lamps that appear at these exhibitions is beyond the reach of Chinese-made lamps. The trend of plagiarism and counterfeiting of industrial design of lamps in my country is prevalent. Although the design seems exquisite, there are too many quality defects behind it. Therefore, my country's lamps still face great competitive pressure in the international market, and the profit level is squeezed by foreign manufacturers. This is not entirely a core technology problem. For more Chinese companies, it is an industrial design problem. After all, there are only a few companies that master core technologies. Most lamps are home furnishings that integrate decoration and functionality. Generally, lamp companies should pay more attention to industrial design and increase added value by improving the level of industrial design. At this year's Spring Canton Fair, the export price of a traditional small household appliance from Shunde was tens of yuan. After design and modification, its price increased, but the export order volume did not decrease. This is a vivid example.

　　Domestic parties have long paid attention to the industrial design of lamps. Guzhen Town, Zhongshan City, is the most concentrated industrial area for indoor decorative lamps. Since the Guzhen International Lighting Expo was held regularly at the beginning of this century, practical measures have been taken to promote the development of industrial design. As early as 2005, the lighting design competition of the China Guzhen International Lighting Expo kicked off the lighting design achievement evaluation activities held every year during the Guzhen Lighting Expo. Every year, a piece of fine lamps stand out in the evaluation activities and receive honorary certificates issued by authoritative organizations. The Guzhen Town government also hired experts such as Liu Guanzhong, the "Father of Chinese Industrial Design", as consultants for the Guzhen lighting industry to guide Guzhen lighting companies to improve their industrial design level. Italy is one of the three major bases of the world's lighting industry, leading the world with its design culture. The Guzhen Town government and enterprises attach great importance to this and actively learn from Italy's advanced industrial design experience. The head of the Italian Industrial Designers Association visited the Guzhen Lighting Expo for many times. The 2012 China-Foreign Lighting Industry and Industrial Design Cooperation and Exchange Conference was held. Representatives of foreign organizations such as the Italian Industrial Designers Association and the Italian Lighting Association came to communicate with Chinese designers. Zhongshan Huayi Lighting Group has brand cooperation with the Italian Artemide Lighting Company. Zhongshan Juhao Lighting Appliance Co., Ltd. and the Italian Industrial Designers Association formally signed a strategic cooperation agreement at the Second China-Italy Designer Cooperation Summit Forum. Zhongshan Qilang Lighting Co., Ltd. hired famous designers from Italy, Germany, Spain and other countries as design consultants and design directors, and designed lighting according to the needs of the markets of various countries, attracting customers from all over the world with the fashion trends of products. In 2010, Zhongshan Guzhen Pinyuan Lighting Factory and Kunming University of Science and Technology School of Art and Media jointly launched the "Pinyuan Cup First National Lighting Design Competition". The popularity of Guzhen lighting industrial design is booming.

　　In view of the vigorous development of the lighting industry in many parts of the country, relevant parties have made efforts to promote the improvement of the national lighting industrial design level. The China International Lighting Design Competition, organized by an authoritative organization, has been held for several years and is promoted in various places every year. It is hoped that lighting manufacturers from all over the country will actively participate. The world's largest lighting exhibition, the Guangzhou International Lighting Exhibition, also launched the Aladdin Magic Lamp Award this year, publicly promoting and rewarding indoor and outdoor lighting with outstanding industrial design levels. In addition, in various industrial design competitions in various places, some indoor and outdoor lighting can be seen to have won awards. NVC street lamps won the Supreme Gold Award of the China Industrial Design Red Star Award, Everlight LED lamps won the German iF Product Design Award, and Qilang crystal lamps won the British Lighting Industrial Design Award, etc. The most proud thing is that in the "2013 International Milan Design Week Good Design Exhibition" in Italy this spring, Wen Weicai, a teacher in the Industrial Design Department of the School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering of Wuyi University, won the first "GOODESIGN Certificate" awarded to Chinese designers at the Milan Design Exhibition with four creative sunflower lamps, which also showed the original power of China in the field of design to the outside world. Wen Weicai also became the first Chinese designer in the lighting field in China to be recognized by the top European design exhibition. Italian experts said about this product, "Europeans realize that China is the world's largest economic entity, so they also hope to understand the Chinese people's ideas. In the past, they thought that China only copied in design, but when they saw that the design was both creative and traditional, they felt that the work clearly told them the current situation of Chinese design."

　　It can be said that China's lighting industry design has made remarkable achievements and has its own characteristics. Overall, there is still a considerable gap with Europe and the United States, but with concerted efforts and perseverance, we will definitely be able to achieve the goal of "surpassing Britain and catching up with the United States."

　　3. Industrial design ideas for LED lamps

　　At present, lamps are entering the LED era, and semiconductors are entering the field of general lighting, which has once again triggered a wave of innovative design of lamp products. The small size, multi-color, adjustable, and super performance of LEDs have given the industrial design of lamps a wide range of operating space, but also posed a great challenge to the traditional industrial design thinking mode of lamps. Mou Hongyi, executive director of the Institute of Architectural Light Environment of the Central Academy of Fine Arts, said that in order to open up the civilian market, the current LED industry mostly designs LED lamps to be replaceable, that is, directly replace existing lamps. For the new light source of LED, we should think about highlighting the value in an innovative way, especially the appearance design of LED lamps, which has been almost ignored.

　　The industrial design of LED lamps naturally needs to consider the characteristics of LED light sources, which are quite different from traditional light sources. However, there are some common points that must be followed. First, the product must convey a very good cultural concept, which includes a very rich story or a philosophical thought. This is the characteristic of top-level design. Only the design that carries culture is the most full, three-dimensional and most touching work. Secondly, it is necessary to consider light. In Europe, when masters design lamps, they start with light and see how light is reflected through the material. However, Chinese design starts with shape. Not to mention the unification of light, shape and structure. This is the biggest difference between Chinese and foreign lighting designers. Thirdly, it is necessary to consider the conversion rate of the work, that is, the possibility of large-scale commercialization. Industrial designers should consider the needs of customers and should not be too self-centered. Designers design products on their own and then produce them. In this process, they do not care what consumers think or how they use them, which leads to the problem that the work cannot be recognized by the market.

　　For the general industrial design of LED lamps, just like traditional lamps, we need to consider materials, light efficiency, safety and other issues. There are many works in this regard. However, there is one issue that must be emphasized, that is, the low-carbon concept that is widely promoted now. This year, my country has set up a low-carbon day for the first time, which is also a test for the industrial design of lamps. Low carbon is not only about saving electricity and energy, but also about saving material. For a long time, decorative lamps have relied on too many accessories, which does not meet the requirements of low carbon. Lamps are mainly used for lighting, and should not take up too much material and space. One of the advantages of LED light sources is that they are small in size, so LED lamps should not be too large, which will increase the difficulty of promoting LED lamps, which have been slow to be widely used due to their high prices. Too much material and too large volume are not conducive to the overall beauty of the lamps integrating into the space environment, nor are they conducive to the perfect display of light, and even to the health and safety of users. The above advantages of LED light sources can also make LED lamps better than traditional lamps to achieve the best harmony with the space environment. Lamps are only a part of the space environment, and a small part. The lights at night are the whole. "Seeing the light but not the lamp" may not be absolutely correct, but the lamps should not steal the limelight of the lights. This is also a problem that should be considered in the industrial design process. These aspects can also be called ecological design. Guangdong Province began to propose ecological design standards for electronic and electrical products last year and carried out publicity and promotion activities. This must be followed in industrial design activities. Now we oppose the excessive packaging of some commodities. LED lamps must also change the complicated style of some traditional lamps in the past. They should be simple and beautiful. The slogan of Philips, the world's largest lamp manufacturer, is "simple in form, refined in heart", which is worth studying.

　　When focusing on industrial design, we cannot ignore a related issue, that is, quality. The quality of LED lamps has always been criticized, which is also one of the obstacles to product promotion. Industrial design cannot ignore this issue. If the quality is not up to standard, industrial design will become a flower stand, flashy and impractical. Without sufficient quality, no matter how good the industrial design is, it will be in vain, and the product will not be able to widely realize commercial value. Industrial design cannot solve quality problems, but it should take quality problems into consideration. Those industrial design solutions that cannot meet quality standards are best abandoned or implemented after they are more mature.

　　The lighting industry in the LED era is a major change from the past. Due to the change in products, it is a new opportunity for many companies. Many small and medium-sized enterprises hope to grow stronger by taking this opportunity. Many non-professional enterprises have entered this industry. What do they rely on to survive and develop? Of course, core technology is unreliable. It is impossible for so many companies to have their own core technology. Widely owned technology is not core technology. Industrial design is a more practical and effective way. As mentioned earlier, lamps are the products that can best reflect the value of industrial design among household items. As Li Jinmin, director of the Institute of Semiconductors of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said, after the LED core technology gradually breaks the monopoly, LED product design and application innovation will be the hot spot of the next round of competition. The 2011 "Shanghai Light Industry Cup" LED New Light Source Lighting Fashion Creative Design Competition reflects this trend.

　　Due to the industrial trend of large-scale standardized mass production of LED lamps in the future, the understanding of LED lamp industrial design must exceed the level of understanding of traditional lamp industrial design. For qualified enterprises, first of all, they should attach importance to the corporate organizational structure. People like Apple iPone, but they don’t know that Apple attaches great importance to the industrial design system. The professional vice president is in charge of a special industrial design agency; Lenovo, the first domestic computer brand, does not have much core technology, but attaches great importance to industrial design. It also has a special industrial design center and is presided over by a professional vice president. Secondly, the ideological concept should be updated. Industrial design is divided into many levels. Reforming the appearance is the lowest level and the lowest technical content of industrial design. At present, 80 to 90 percent of industrial design in my country's manufacturing enterprises is changing the appearance. For higher-level design-new products and new concepts, the design is not enthusiastic enough and the investment is not enough. Lamp companies should strengthen exchanges with other mature industries, such as IT, automobiles, furniture, etc., strengthen exchanges with foreign countries, mainly European and American countries, and strengthen exchanges with other disciplines, because the industrial design of lamps involves many disciplines, not just mechanical and electronic technology. Thirdly, we should be good at citing the latest technology to help industrial design. For example, the newly emerging 3D printing technology is very useful for industrial design and deserves the attention of lighting companies.

　　Finally, the publicity and education work on industrial design is also very important. The government should guide enterprises to pay attention to industrial design, and enterprises should educate their employees to improve industrial design. At the same time, they should publicly promote industrial design to consumers, so that products can be recognized by consumers and highlight their own advantages, that is, selling points. In this way, the whole society will have a deep impression of industrial design, which will be of great benefit to the popularization and application of LED lamps.