Applications for industrial designs increased in Spain during 2025, becoming the type of industrial property with the highest annual growth rate. This is according to the report *The OEPM in Figures 2025*, published by the Spanish Patent and Trademark Office, which puts the increase in industrial designs at 14.8%, surpassing the growth recorded for patents (12%), utility models (8%), and trademarks (11.5%).
This growth confirms the growing importance of protecting the external appearance of products within companies’ intellectual property strategies. In saturated markets, where many products compete on the basis of similar functionalities, design can become a decisive factor in differentiation.
The highest number of industrial design applications since 2019
The 14.8% growth marks the highest figure for industrial designs in recent years. In 2025, 16,032 design applications were filed—a figure not seen since 2019 and one that exceeds the annual average for the past decade.
This trend is particularly significant because it follows several years of erratic performance. After the declines recorded in the years following 2019, the 2025 data points to a clear recovery in the protection of design as a business asset.
Trends in National Industrial Design Applications Over the Past 10 Years
Catalonia, Madrid, the Valencian Community, and Andalusia lead the way in industrial design
The SPTO report shows a clear regional concentration of industrial design applications. In 2025, Catalonia was the autonomous community with the highest number of applications, with 3,920 designs, representing 24.5% of the total. It was followed by the Community of Madrid, with 17.2%; the Valencian Community, with 15.8%; and Andalusia, with 10.1%.
These four regions account for 67.6% of all industrial design applications filed in Spain. This distribution reflects the importance of regions with a strong presence of sectors linked to design, fashion, footwear, retail, consumer products, interior design, furniture, and the creative industries.
Distribution of National Industrial Design Applications by Autonomous Community
Fashion, ornamentation, and decorative objects account for a large portion of industrial design applications
The report also allows for an analysis of which types of products account for the highest number of industrial design applications. In 2025, the three classes with the highest number of designs were clothing and haberdashery; graphic symbols and logos, surface patterns, ornamentation, and the layout of interior and exterior spaces; and decorative objects.
In the case of clothing and haberdashery, this includes designs related to garments, footwear, accessories, textile accessories, or decorative elements applied to fashion products. This class once again tops the rankings, with 4,932 applications and a 13.1% increase compared to 2024, reflecting the importance of protecting a product’s aesthetics in industries where shape, cut, silhouette, or visual details can be decisive.
Also noteworthy is the category of graphic symbols, logos, surface patterns, ornamentation, and the layout of interior and exterior spaces, which grew by 23.4%. This class includes designs applied to prints, decorative motifs, graphic patterns, and visual elements for interiors, commercial spaces, or packaging. Its growth points to a greater focus on protecting visual elements that help build identity, differentiate products, and strengthen the brand experience.
Beyond the categories with the highest volume, the report also shows very significant increases in classes that traditionally account for a smaller share of applications. This is the case for travel goods, cases, parasols, and personal items not included in other classes, which grew by 80.5%; stationery, office supplies, and materials for artists or educators, which increased by 81%; and buildings and building components, which recorded a 76.3% increase. Although these categories start from lower figures than fashion or ornamentation, this growth points to a greater use of industrial design in sectors where a product’s appearance, presentation, or the visual configuration of certain elements is beginning to take on greater competitive significance.
Industrial design categories with the highest number of applications in 2025
The report’s data show that industrial design is gaining prominence as a protection tool within industrial property. And not only in sectors where product aesthetics have traditionally played an obvious role, such as fashion, footwear, accessories, and home decor. It is also beginning to have a greater presence in categories related to everyday products, packaging, professional-use items, construction elements, and solutions applied to the consumer experience.
This growth reflects an increasingly clear reality: a product’s appearance can be a key business asset. In many markets, a product’s shape, finish, presentation, or visual design directly influence consumer perception and can be decisive in setting it apart from competing products.
All of the charts included in this article are taken from the report *The Spanish Patent and Trademark Office in Figures 2025*, published by the Spanish Patent and Trademark Office.
Paloma Querol, associate at Elzaburu