Product design is a promising field for the application of new technologies and methodologies emerging from the digital evolution of Industry 4.0. A great number of tools have been developed in order to accentuate the use of modern Computer-Aided Design (CAD) systems and computational design techniques for design customization in product applications. The present paper deals with the development of two different applications for designing furniture based on the Computational-based Visual Brand Identity (CbVBI) design methodology. For the first case study, the Application Programming Interface (API) Solidworks^TM (VBA event-driven programming language) is used. The second case study focuses on the visual programming language of Grasshopper^TM, which is incorporated within Rhinoceros3D^TM. The proposed case studies offer a great deal of flexibility in both design and manufacturing, while many design alternatives could become available in a very short period.

On the way to designing customized products as one of the core activities of Industry 4.0, the strategy of computational design emerges as a unique design process due to its flexibility and simplicity. More specifically, the aforementioned strategy is concerned with the study of brand identity and its description in the development of commercial industrial products. The proposed design approach is focused on the study of branded product forms following computational design methodologies, i.e., employing textual or/and visual programming languages. The paper presents an overview of in-depth research studies which deal with the systematic way of creation, evolution, and transformation of industrial products with modern digital tools. Through the review, 100 studies have been analyzed over the last 15 years. The background of this research includes definitions from the specific four pillars of the modern theory of industrial design, e.g., product design, digital design, visual representation, and product identity. Furthermore, the current paper combines the use of computational design with specific parameters of visual brand elements in order to develop a methodological tool for the mass customization of industrial products. Moreover, the proposed framework offers a great deal of flexibility in both design and manufacturing, while many design alternatives could become available in a very short time. Finally, the impact of this paper is the correlation between computational design techniques and the theoretical background of brand identity principles (i.e., shapes, geometries, styles, textures, colors, and materials) for inspiring novel ideas among engineers, designers, and marketers.

Oral care products and especially toothpastes, are vital for the human daily hygiene. Nowadays tooth brushing is, without a doubt, an integral part of preventative dentistry, but on the other hand the extensive use of toothpastes has a great impact on the environment. Traditional toothpaste tubes have many negative aspects, in terms of usage and recycling. Their modest size, mixed and merged materials, remnant toothpaste inside toothpaste tubes and other tube based containers, make them difficult to disassemble and recycling almost impossible. The main objective of this study, is to investigate the disadvantages of the toothpaste packaging and the proposal of new innovative packaging solutions, which will not only reduce the environmental impact that traditional toothpaste tubes cause, but will also be user-friendly. In this paper, a combination of literature survey and market research is being presented. Finally, based on the findings and well-established techniques, a number of innovative, user and environmental friendly toothpaste packaging is proposed.

This paper explores the creation of architectural structures through para-metric design tools. The proposed methodology presents an alternative framework of using digital tools for the product design development from the design thinking point of view. The main core of the suggested design process includes a great number of theoretical issues from design identity, design language and architectural design areas. As a result, designers can develop constructions for public spaces that are based on innovative morphologies by using new digital design techniques such as computational design (Rhino3D © and Grasshopper ©). The development of an architectural structure that aims to bring greenery into the city and increase the rest and action spaces is presented. A valuable aspect of this exploration is in positioning the proposed design framework inside - to aid in the creative process and better leverage downstream outcomes. The final steps of the proposed methodology include the production of the final architectural structure through rapid prototyping, laser cutting and engraving techniques.

The present paper examines the application of a holistic product design approach from the Design Thinking point of view. The Design Thinking process follows a number of steps with an aim to develop product design visual concepts around users’ experiences and their needs. The presented case study is focused to the modern jewellery design era. The proposed design was developed by using a series of design thinking methodologies (empathy maps, persona, product design) and creative tools (mind-maps, moodboards, sketches, storyboards, and prototyping). Furthermore, through this holistic design approach an alternative version of future jewelries is achieved, while at the same time it embodies novel technologies and web-based applications. The paper discusses the potentials for reimagining the jewellery products in relation to the Design Thinking Process and CAD-based tools at the same time. Finally, the proposed products provide a novel framework of art and new technology methods for extensive production of innovative art-based products.