INDUSTRY 4.0

While mass production has dominated product design for over a century, it necessitates standardization for profitability, leading to overconsumption, waste, and a loss of product diversity, transparency, emotional durability, and the ability to meet specific individual and community needs. In recent years, Open Design has emerged, enabled by digital communication, creative production tools, and technologies such as collaborative content sharing, additive manufacturing, the internet of things, and Industry 4.0. This facilitates collaborative problem-solving and the creation of customized products to meet user needs, empowering designers to become end-producers of creative content while supporting local industries, craftspeople, and end users.