to get a more defined look whilst keeping a sort of blend between soft and a hard edge, what i normally do is a mix and match between 2 procedures.
I bevel the entire object as a whole with only 1 sub division, this will round of the corners and edges a tiny bit, then i apply the smooth function whilst reducing the continuity, this will try to maintain the original design but with more defined edges and corners.
I normally apply the smooth after i'm happy with the entire model, sort of a finalising procedure. However if your working in conjuction with sub-d's then theres no need to apply a smooth as sub-d will do that anyway.
3D Modeler and Texture Painter (Learning)
"We have limits.... our imagination does not"
Final Year: University of Bradford (Worst place to live and study in the UK!!)