The Development Status of China's Industrial Design Industry

Over the past two decades since China’s reform and opening-up, industrial design has not only gained widespread recognition across society but has also emerged as a significant and increasingly indispensable industry in its own right. Today, design has permeated every aspect of daily life, subtly yet profoundly reshaping how people perceive themselves. Walking through streets and alleys, you’ll encounter countless brands proudly waving the banner of design, promoting their products with flair. The term “design” has become so ubiquitous that it’s almost overwhelming in its breadth of application. As society continues to evolve, the meaning of design grows ever more complex—and increasingly blurred. Meanwhile, China’s industrial design sector has made remarkable strides, with an initial industrial framework now taking shape.

I. The Industry Continues to Expand in Scale First, the number of enterprises is growing rapidly. By the end of 2016, China had more than 12,000 companies involved in industrial design-related activities, among which over 5,000 were large-scale professional industrial design firms—nearly 60 times the number compared to just over 90 such companies at the turn of the 20th century. Second, the number of specialized industrial parks dedicated to design continues to rise. Nationwide, more than 50 purpose-built industrial parks have been established, including notable ones like Guangdong Industrial Design City, Shenzhen Design Industry Park, and the DRC Industrial Design & Creative Industry Base. Additionally, there are over 1,200 cultural and creative as well as manufacturing-service-oriented industrial parks that have made industrial design a core part of their business offerings. Finally, both employment opportunities and the number of universities offering industrial design programs are steadily expanding. Today, China boasts over 600,000 professionals working in the industrial design sector, while more than 600 higher education institutions now offer formal industrial design programs. Meanwhile, nearly 1,800 universities provide related majors such as interaction design and service design. Overall, the total enrollment in design-related fields exceeds 1.5 million students, with over 500,000 new graduates entering the workforce each year from these specialized programs.
II. The Manufacturing Sector’s Growing Demand for Industrial Design First, the manufacturing industry is increasingly reliant on industrial design as part of its brand upgrade process. With intensifying global competition and the ongoing evolution of consumer spending patterns, traditional product systems centered primarily on technology and functionality are gradually being replaced by more brand-driven service and experience-oriented models. Leading domestic manufacturers such as Lenovo, Huawei, Midea, and Haier have significantly ramped up their investments in industrial design R&D over recent years—aiming to enhance both brand visibility and product competitiveness. As a result, these companies have witnessed notable improvements in both product quality and overall brand value. Second, collaboration between specialized design firms and manufacturing enterprises is becoming increasingly close-knit. Particularly in sectors like consumer electronics, telecommunications equipment, transportation vehicles, and industrial machinery, it has become commonplace for professional industrial design companies to provide tailored services directly to manufacturers. In fact, some of these design firms now even possess the capability to independently produce customized products. Finally, the number of industrial design-related patents is surging rapidly. For instance, in 2009, China registered 6.7 times more industrial design-related appearance patents, 3.8 times more utility model patents, and an impressive 7.9 times more invention patents compared to 2001—a testament to the growing importance of innovation and creativity in this field.
III. A preliminary industrial spatial distribution pattern has emerged. Industrial design has largely taken shape across three major regions: the Bohai Rim area (centered on Beijing and extending into Liaoning, Shandong, and other regions), the Yangtze River Delta region (centered on Shanghai and expanding into Zhejiang, Jiangsu, and beyond), and the Pearl River Delta region (centered on Guangdong and reaching into Fujian, Hong Kong, and other areas). Meanwhile, the central region (led by Hunan and Hubei) and the central-western region (dominated by Sichuan and Chongqing) are also witnessing significant growth in the industrial design industry, thanks to their robust manufacturing bases. Looking ahead, this established framework will further stimulate the development of industrial design industries in surrounding and less-developed regions.