Computer-implemented method for a structural optimization of a set of design variables of a design of a physical object with respect to a deformation, wherein the physical object is a vehicle, or a component thereof, wherein the design variables comprise at least one of a thickness of a structural member, a choice of material and a wing span of a wing, the method comprising steps of obtaining (S1) an un-deformed baseline geometric shape of the physical object; generating (S2) a spectral design representation of the baseline geometric shape; determining a deformation mode (S3) defining a desired deformed state of the baseline geometric shape; generating (S4) a spectral representation of the desired deformed state according to the determined deformation mode; generating a spectral descriptor S (S5) of the deformation mode on the basis of the spectral representation and the spectral representation of the desired deformed state according to the deformation mode, wherein the step of generating the spectral descriptor (S5) includes determining a difference (S5.1) between the spectral representation of the baseline geometric shape and the spectral representation of the desired deformed state by subtracting spectral coefficients describing the baseline geometric shape from corresponding spectral coefficients describing the desired deformed state; selecting (S5.2) the spectral coefficients describing the desired deformed state with a difference above a given threshold as the descriptor S of relevant coefficients; performing a structural optimization (S6) of the set of design variables using the generated spectral descriptor S as a parameter in an objective function of the structural optimization or in at least one constraint of the structural optimization to generate an optimized set of design variables of the physical object; outputting the optimized set of design variables (S7) of the physical object based on which a structurally optimized design variant for the physical object is generated. wherein the design variables comprise at least one of a thickness of a structural member, a choice of material and a wing span of a wing, the method comprising steps of obtaining (S1) an un-deformed baseline geometric shape of the physical object; generating (S2) a spectral design representation of the baseline geometric shape; determining a deformation mode (S3) defining a desired deformed state of the baseline geometric shape; generating (S4) a spectral representation of the desired deformed state according to the determined deformation mode; generating a spectral descriptor S (S5) of the deformation mode on the basis of the spectral representation and the spectral representation of the desired deformed state according to the deformation mode, wherein the step of generating the spectral descriptor (S5) includes determining a difference (S5.1) between the spectral representation of the baseline geometric shape and the spectral representation of the desired deformed state by subtracting spectral coefficients describing the baseline geometric shape from corresponding spectral coefficients describing the desired deformed state; selecting (S5.2) the spectral coefficients describing the desired deformed state with a difference above a given threshold as the descriptor S of relevant coefficients; performing a structural optimization (S6) of the set of design variables using the generated spectral descriptor S as a parameter in an objective function of the structural optimization or in at least one constraint of the structural optimization to generate an optimized set of design variables of the physical object; outputting the optimized set of design variables (S7) of the physical object based on which a structurally optimized design variant for the physical object is generated. <EOS>