This contribution explores the evolution of artistic expression techniques in the context of Industrial Design Engineering and Product Development education, with a special focus on the emerging technologies that will define the discipline in the future. This study addresses how these tools influence the creation of new concepts, design development and product innovation.

The study begins with an analysis of traditional techniques such as freehand drawing and illustration, which have formed the basis of creativity and visual communication in the industrial design sector. Subsequently, digital methodologies such as digital drawing, 3D modelling, additive manufacturing and rapid prototyping, which have optimised the processes of ideation and validation of products, are studied. In addition, other types of artistic techniques which are less traditional in the sector are explored, such as photography, photogrammetry, layout and printing.

Finally, the analysis focuses on emerging techniques in the sector, especially those based on artificial intelligence (AI) and image generation. These technologies are radically transforming the paradigm of the techniques used to conceptualise and materialise ideas and products, allowing multiple design variants to be explored in a reduced time, generating hyper-realistic visual representations that enhance decision-making processes.

Both the opportunities that these tools bring in terms of creativity, efficiency, speed, flexibility and accessibility, as well as the challenges related to ethics, authorship and professional adaptation to the field, are discussed. Therefore, it is necessary to review the pedagogical methods and innovations that are required to develop creativity and design thinking in the classroom.

With this historical and prospective overview, we seek to offer a basis for understanding these tools in the development of an industrial design project, as well as to propose different strategic lines for the integration and implementation of these techniques in the training programmes of future engineers and designers, with the aim of improving teaching practice and adapting it to current needs.

Keywords: Industrial Design Engineering, Artistic Expression, Artificial Intelligence, Design Education, Emerging Technologies, Creative Tools.