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

  • Artistic / Enterprising

Knowledge

  • Industrial design

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

  • Engineering processes

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

  • Copyright legislation

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

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • Aesthetics

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

Skills

  • Follow a brief

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

  • Draft design specifications

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

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • Draw design sketches

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

  • Liaise with engineers

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

  • Meet deadlines

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

  • Determine suitability of materials

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

  • Conduct research on trends in design

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

Optional knowledge and skills

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

Common job titles

  • Industrial designer
  • Industrial designer, hardware
  • Industrial designer-design
  • Junior – senior designer – plush / soft goods / toy
  • Industrial designer - san francisco - lunar
  • Industrial designer too faced
  • General operations, assembly & set up