Profession industrial designer

Industrial designers work out ideas and develop them into designs and concepts for a wide variety of manufactured products. They integrate creativity, aesthetics, production feasibility, and market relevance in the design of new products.

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Personality Type

Knowledge

  • Engineering principles

    The engineering elements like functionality, replicability, and costs in relation to the design and how they are applied in the completion of engineering projects.

  • Engineering processes

    The systematic approach to the development and maintenance of engineering systems.

  • Aesthetics

    Set of principles based on which something is appealing and beautiful.

  • Manufacturing processes

    The steps required through which a material is transformed into a product, its development and full-scale manufacturing.

  • Design principles

    The elements used in design such as unity, scale, proportion, balance, symmetry, space, form, texture, colour, light, shade and congruence and their application into practice.

  • Copyright legislation

    Legislation describing the protection of the rights of original authors over their work, and how others can use it.

  • Mathematics

    Mathematics is the study of topics such as quantity, structure, space, and change. It involves the identification of patterns and formulating new conjectures based on them. Mathematicians strive to prove the truth or falsity of these conjectures. There are many fields of mathematics, some of which are widely used for practical applications.

  • Ergonomics

    The science of designing systems, processes and products that complement the strengths of people so that they can use them easily and safely.

  • Industrial design

    The practice of designing products to be manufactured through techniques of mass production.

Skills

  • Follow a brief

    Interpret and meet requirements and expectations, as discussed and agreed upon with the customers.

  • Conduct research on trends in design

    Conduct research on present and future evolutions and trends in design, and associated target market features.

  • Perform market research

    Gather, assess and represent data about target market and customers in order to facilitate strategic development and feasibility studies. Identify market trends.

  • Draft design specifications

    List the design specifications such as materials and parts to be used and a cost estimate.

  • Draw design sketches

    Create rough pictures to assist in creating and communicating design concepts.

  • Determine suitability of materials

    While designing products, determine if materials are suitable and available for production.

  • Meet deadlines

    Ensure operative processes are finished at a previously agreed-upon time.

  • Present detailed design proposals

    Prepare and present detailed design suggestions for a specific production to a mixed group of people, including technical, artistic and management staff.

  • Liaise with engineers

    Collaborate with engineers to ensure common understanding and discuss product design, development and improvement.

Optional knowledge and skills

plan event marketing for promotional campaigns calculate design costs build a product's physical model analyse production processes for improvement consult with design team jewellery processes cost management develop jewellery designs apply 3d imaging techniques build jewellery models think creatively about jewellery manage contracts prepare production prototypes determine production feasibility draw blueprints perform project management attend design meetings use cad software calculate materials ceramic ware design package pneumatics types of glazing use technical drawing software industrial engineering perform physical stress tests on models design prototypes types of packaging materials prospect new customers adapt to new design materials hydraulics write manuals types of toy materials coordinate manufacturing production activities 3d modelling create a product's virtual model monitor production developments identify customer's needs collaborate with engineers use specialised design software cam software use cae software adapt existing designs to changed circumstances cad software apply desktop publishing techniques

Source: Sisyphus ODB