Education:
68%
Bachelor's Degree
15%
Some College Courses
Industrial Designer
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Job Outlook:
As fast as average
Education:
Bachelor's degree
Salary
High:
$125,780.00
Average:
$81,740.00
Hourly
Average:
$39.30
What they do:
Design and develop manufactured products, such as cars, home appliances, and children's toys. Combine artistic talent with research on product use, marketing, and materials to create the most functional and appealing product design.
On the job, you would:
- Prepare sketches of ideas, detailed drawings, illustrations, artwork, or blueprints, using drafting instruments, paints and brushes, or computer-aided design equipment.
- Modify and refine designs, using working models, to conform with customer specifications, production limitations, or changes in design trends.
- Evaluate feasibility of design ideas, based on factors such as appearance, safety, function, serviceability, budget, production costs/methods, and market characteristics.
Important Qualities
Analytical skills. Industrial designers use logic or reasoning skills to study consumers and recognize the need for new products.
Artistic ability. Industrial designers sketch their initial design ideas, which are used later to create prototypes. As such, designers must be able to express their design through illustration.
Computer skills. Industrial designers use computer-aided design software to develop their designs and create prototypes.
Creativity. Industrial designers must be innovative in their designs and the ways in which they integrate existing technologies into their new product.
Interpersonal skills. Industrial designers must develop cooperative working relationships with clients and colleagues who specialize in related disciplines.
Mechanical skills. Industrial designers must understand how products are engineered, at least for the types of products that they design.
Problem-solving skills. Industrial designers determine the need, size, and cost of a product; anticipate production issues; develop alternatives; evaluate options; and implement solutions.
Personality
| A3 | Your Strengths | Importance |
Characteristics of this Career |
|---|---|---|---|
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97% | Attention to Detail - Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks. | |
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81% | Initiative - Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges. | |
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80% | Dependability - Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations. | |
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79% | Analytical Thinking - Job requires analyzing information and using logic to address work-related issues and problems. | |
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78% | Cooperation - Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude. | |
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76% | Persistence - Job requires persistence in the face of obstacles. | |
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74% | Adaptability/Flexibility - Job requires being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace. | |
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74% | Innovation - Job requires creativity and alternative thinking to develop new ideas for and answers to work-related problems. | |
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70% | Achievement/Effort - Job requires establishing and maintaining personally challenging achievement goals and exerting effort toward mastering tasks. | |
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68% | Integrity - Job requires being honest and ethical. | |
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67% | Leadership - Job requires a willingness to lead, take charge, and offer opinions and direction. |
| A3 | Your Strengths | Importance |
Strengths |
|---|---|---|---|
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95% | Artistic - Work involves creating original visual artwork, performances, written works, food, or music for a variety of media, or applying artistic principles to the design of various objects and materials. Artistic occupations are often associated with visual arts, applied arts and design, performing arts, music, creative writing, media, or culinary art. | |
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61% | Enterprising - Work involves managing, negotiating, marketing, or selling, typically in a business setting, or leading or advising people in political and legal situations. Enterprising occupations are often associated with business initiatives, sales, marketing/advertising, finance, management/administration, professional advising, public speaking, politics, or law. |
| A3 | Your Strengths | Importance |
Values of the Work Environment |
|---|---|---|---|
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67% | Achievement - Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment. Corresponding needs are Ability Utilization and Achievement. | |
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67% | Relationships - Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment. Corresponding needs are Co-workers, Moral Values and Social Service. | |
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61% | Working Conditions - Occupations that satisfy this work value offer job security and good working conditions. Corresponding needs are Activity, Compensation, Independence, Security, Variety and Working Conditions. | |
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61% | Recognition - Occupations that satisfy this work value offer advancement, potential for leadership, and are often considered prestigious. Corresponding needs are Advancement, Authority, Recognition and Social Status. | |
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61% | Independence - Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to work on their own and make decisions. Corresponding needs are Creativity, Responsibility and Autonomy. |
Aptitude
| A3 | Your Strengths | Importance |
Abilities | Cognitive, Physical, Personality |
|---|---|---|---|
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72% | Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer). | |
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72% | Fluency of Ideas - The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity). | |
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72% | Originality - The ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem. | |
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69% | Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense. | |
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69% | Visualization - The ability to imagine how something will look after it is moved around or when its parts are moved or rearranged. | |
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69% | Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand. | |
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69% | Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences. | |
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69% | Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing. | |
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66% | Speech Recognition - The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person. | |
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66% | Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem. | |
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66% | Information Ordering - The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations). |
Job Details
Responsibilities
Draw detailed or technical illustrations.
Coordinate construction or installation activities.
Develop artistic or design concepts for decoration, exhibition, or commercial purposes.
Develop artistic or design concepts for decoration, exhibition, or commercial purposes.
Collaborate with others to develop or refine designs.
Present work to clients for approval.
Collaborate with others to develop or refine designs.
Monitor current trends.
Conduct research to inform art, designs, or other work.
Estimate costs for projects or productions.
Draw detailed or technical illustrations.
Coordinate design activities.
Build models, patterns, or templates.
Conduct market research.
Conduct market research.
Develop promotional strategies or plans.
| A3 | Your Strengths | Importance |
Attributes & Percentage of Time Spent |
|---|---|---|---|
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100% | Electronic Mail - How often do you use electronic mail in this job? | |
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100% | Face-to-Face Discussions - How often do you have to have face-to-face discussions with individuals or teams in this job? | |
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99% | Indoors, Environmentally Controlled - How often does this job require working indoors in environmentally controlled conditions? | |
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93% | Work With Work Group or Team - How important is it to work with others in a group or team in this job? | |
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92% | Telephone - How often do you have telephone conversations in this job? | |
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85% | Importance of Being Exact or Accurate - How important is being very exact or highly accurate in performing this job? | |
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85% | Spend Time Sitting - How much does this job require sitting? | |
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85% | Contact With Others - How much does this job require the worker to be in contact with others (face-to-face, by telephone, or otherwise) in order to perform it? | |
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82% | Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results - What results do your decisions usually have on other people or the image or reputation or financial resources of your employer? | |
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77% | Frequency of Decision Making - How frequently is the worker required to make decisions that affect other people, the financial resources, and/or the image and reputation of the organization? | |
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76% | Time Pressure - How often does this job require the worker to meet strict deadlines? | |
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75% | Deal With External Customers - How important is it to work with external customers or the public in this job? | |
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69% | Structured versus Unstructured Work - To what extent is this job structured for the worker, rather than allowing the worker to determine tasks, priorities, and goals? | |
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68% | Freedom to Make Decisions - How much decision making freedom, without supervision, does the job offer? | |
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67% | Importance of Repeating Same Tasks - How important is repeating the same physical activities (e.g., key entry) or mental activities (e.g., checking entries in a ledger) over and over, without stopping, to performing this job? | |
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66% | Coordinate or Lead Others - How important is it to coordinate or lead others in accomplishing work activities in this job? | |
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88% | Duration of Typical Work Week - Number of hours typically worked in one week. |
| A3 | Your Strengths | Importance |
Tasks & Values |
|---|---|---|---|
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89% | Drafting, Laying Out, and Specifying Technical Devices, Parts, and Equipment - Providing documentation, detailed instructions, drawings, or specifications to tell others about how devices, parts, equipment, or structures are to be fabricated, constructed, assembled, modified, maintained, or used. | |
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85% | Making Decisions and Solving Problems - Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems. | |
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85% | Working with Computers - Using computers and computer systems (including hardware and software) to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information. | |
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84% | Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates - Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person. | |
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80% | Getting Information - Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources. | |
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74% | Thinking Creatively - Developing, designing, or creating new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, or products, including artistic contributions. | |
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73% | Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards - Using relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards. | |
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72% | Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events - Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events. | |
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72% | Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships - Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time. | |
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68% | Documenting/Recording Information - Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form. | |
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68% | Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings - Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems. | |
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68% | Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work - Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work. | |
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68% | Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge - Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job. | |
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67% | Communicating with People Outside the Organization - Communicating with people outside the organization, representing the organization to customers, the public, government, and other external sources. This information can be exchanged in person, in writing, or by telephone or e-mail. | |
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65% | Processing Information - Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or verifying information or data. |
What Industrial Designers Do
Industrial designers work primarily in offices, but they may travel to the places where the products are manufactured.
Industrial designers develop the concepts for manufactured products, such as cars, home appliances, and toys. They combine art, business, and engineering to make products that people use every day. Industrial designers consider the function, aesthetics, production costs, and usability of products when developing new product concepts.
Duties
Industrial designers typically do the following:
- Consult with clients to determine requirements for designs
- Research the various ways a particular product might be used, and who will use it
- Sketch ideas or create renderings, which are images on paper or on a computer that provide a visual of design ideas
- Use computer software to develop virtual models of different designs
- Create physical prototypes of their designs
- Examine materials and manufacturing requirements to determine production costs
- Work with other specialists, such as mechanical engineers and manufacturers, to evaluate whether their design concepts will fill needs at a reasonable cost
- Evaluate product safety, appearance, and function to determine if a design is practical
- Present designs and demonstrate prototypes to clients for approval
Some industrial designers focus on a particular product category. For example, they may design medical equipment or work on consumer electronics products, such as computers and smart phones. Other designers develop ideas for products such as new bicycles, furniture, housewares, and snowboards.
Other designers, sometimes called user interface designers or interaction designers, focus on the usability of a product, such as an electronic device, and ensure that the product is both simple and enjoyable to use.
Industrial designers imagine how consumers might use a product and test different designs with consumers to see how each design looks and works. Industrial designers often work with engineers, production experts, and market research analysts to find out if their designs are feasible. They apply the input from their colleagues’ professional expertise to further develop their designs. For example, industrial designers may work with market research analysts to develop plans to market new product designs to consumers.
Computers are a major tool for industrial designers. Industrial designers use two-dimensional computer-aided design and drafting (CADD) software to sketch ideas, because computers make it easy to make changes and show alternatives. Three-dimensional CAD software is increasingly being used by industrial designers as a tool to transform their two-dimensional designs into models with the help of three-dimensional printers. If they work for manufacturers, they also may use computer-aided industrial design (CAID) software to create specific machine-readable instructions that tell other machines exactly how to build the product.
Work Environment
Industrial designers held about 32,400 jobs in 2022. The largest employers of industrial designers were as follows:
| Manufacturing | 34% |
| Wholesale trade | 15 |
| Specialized design services | 9 |
| Architectural, engineering, and related services | 9 |
| Self-employed workers | 5 |
Work spaces for industrial designers often include work tables for sketching designs, meeting rooms with whiteboards for brainstorming with colleagues, and computers and other office equipment for preparing designs and communicating with clients. Although industrial designers work primarily in offices, they may travel to testing facilities, design centers, clients’ exhibit sites, users’ homes or workplaces, and places where the product is manufactured.
Work Schedules
Industrial designers who are self-employed or work for firms that hire them out to other organizations may need to adjust their workdays frequently in order to meet with clients in the evenings or on weekends. In addition, they may spend some of their time looking for new projects or competing with other designers for contracts.
Getting Started
How to Become an Industrial Designer
A bachelor’s degree in industrial design, architecture, or engineering is usually required for entry-level industrial design jobs.
Industrial designers typically need a bachelor's degree to enter the occupation. They also need an electronic portfolio with examples of their design projects.
Education
A bachelor’s degree is usually required for entry-level industrial design jobs. Common fields of degree include fine arts, engineering, or architecture. Most industrial design programs include courses in drawing, computer-aided design and drafting (CADD), and three-dimensional modeling, as well as courses in business, industrial materials and processes, and manufacturing methods.
The National Association of Schools of Art and Design accredits more than 360 postsecondary colleges, universities, and independent institutes with programs in art and design. Many schools require successful completion of some basic art and design courses before granting entry into a bachelor’s degree program. Applicants also may need to submit sketches and other examples of their artistic ability.
Many programs provide students with the opportunity to build a professional portfolio of their designs from classroom projects, internships, or other experiences. Students can use these examples of their work to demonstrate their design skills when applying for jobs and bidding on contracts for work.
Advancement
Experienced designers in large firms may advance to chief designer, design department head, or other supervisory positions. Some designers become teachers in design schools or in colleges and universities. Many teachers continue to consult privately or operate small design studios in addition to teaching. Some experienced designers open their own design firms.
Job Outlook
Employment of industrial designers is projected to grow 2 percent from 2022 to 2032, about as fast as the average for all occupations.
About 2,200 openings for industrial designers are projected each year, on average, over the decade. Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.
Employment
The need for new and innovative designs, especially for hi-tech products, is expected to support demand for industrial designers. However, projected employment declines in some manufacturing industries may offset this expected growth.
Contacts for More Information
For more information about industrial designers, visit
Industrial Designers Society of America
For more information about accredited college-level programs in art and design, visit
Similar Occupations
This table shows a list of occupations with job duties that are similar to those of industrial designers.
| Occupation | Job Duties | Entry-Level Education | Median Annual Pay, May 2022 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Architects |
Architects plan and design houses, factories, office buildings, and other structures. |
Bachelor's degree | $82,840 |
|
Desktop Publishers |
Desktop publishers use computer software to design page layouts for items that are printed or published online. |
Associate's degree | $47,910 |
|
Drafters |
Drafters use software to convert the designs of engineers and architects into technical drawings. |
Associate's degree | $60,400 |
|
Graphic Designers |
Graphic designers create visual concepts, using computer software or by hand, to communicate ideas that inspire, inform, and captivate consumers. |
Bachelor's degree | $57,990 |
|
Industrial Engineers |
Industrial engineers devise efficient systems that integrate workers, machines, materials, information, and energy to make a product or provide a service. |
Bachelor's degree | $96,350 |
|
Interior Designers |
Interior designers make indoor spaces functional, safe, and beautiful by determining space requirements and selecting essential and decorative items. |
Bachelor's degree | $61,590 |
|
Art Directors |
Art directors are responsible for the visual style and images in magazines, newspapers, product packaging, and movie and television productions. |
Bachelor's degree | $105,180 |
|
Fashion Designers |
Fashion designers create clothing, accessories, and footwear. |
Bachelor's degree | $76,700 |
|
Software Developers, Quality Assurance Analysts, and Testers |
Software developers design computer applications or programs. Software quality assurance analysts and testers identify problems with applications or programs and report defects. |
Bachelor's degree | $124,200 |