What is the difference between an industrial design and a patent ?

Patents and industrial designs are two kinds of industrial property rights that differ mainly in the type of protection they offer. 
A patent aims to protect the technical aspect of a creation that provides a technical solution to a given technical problem, whereas laws on industrial designs aim to protect the aesthetic or ornamental aspect of a creation.
Given these differences, it is possible to secure both types of protection (patent and industrial design) for your creation if it combines both technical and aesthetic aspects. 

IMPORTANT: if the aesthetic aspect of your creation has a purely technical purpose or function, you will only be able to obtain a patent.