The following job responsibilities are common for individuals in industrial designer roles:

• Work with clients and employers to determine the needs and goals of requested product designs
• Form personas—hypothetical people who would benefit from or use the product—to develop designs that cater to targeted consumer groups
• Use hand sketches, computer rendering programs, and 3-D printers to create design models
• Weigh production costs, retail costs, potential features, aesthetic appeal, and safety concerns when creating product designs
• Present finished designs to employers or clients for approval, and revise designs as requested

A Day in the Life

Industrial designers work to design useful, attractive, and desirable products for product manufacturing companies. They use artistic talent, engineering ingenuity, and market research to form designs for products that consumers will want to own. They may design cars, appliances, electronics, toys, furniture, tools, or sports equipment, among many others.

When forming product designs, industrial designers must weigh the benefits and disadvantages of production costs, retail costs, potential features, aesthetic appeal, and safety concerns. Produced designs must fulfill all client/employer requirements, must be designed in a way that makes sales of the product profitable, and must be appealing to—and cost-friendly for—consumers. They also conduct market research and form personas—hypothetical people who would benefit from or use the product—to develop designs that targeted consumer groups will want to purchase.

Industrial designers use a variety of tools to form their designs. They may create hand sketches of products, computer models using computer-aided design (CAD) software, and 3-D printers. They also work alongside engineers to choose design components that meet the needs and requirements of the components being designed, or to request engineers to develop new component types to meet product needs.

Once designs are complete, industrial designers present plans to stakeholders for approval. If stakeholders are satisfied with the designs, the designs are transferred to engineering and product development teams for creation. If stakeholders request changes, the industrial designer must return to the drawing table to revise designs.

Typical Work Schedule

Most industrial designers work full-time schedules, typically during normal business hours. However, they may need to occasionally work evenings or weekends to accommodate client scheduling issues.

Typical Employers

Some industrial designers are self-employed and take on design projects on a freelance basis for individual clients. Others work for employers in the manufacturing industry, or work for architectural, engineering, and/or design consulting firms. The manufacturing industry employs the largest number of industrial designers.