Commercial & Industrial Designers

design product artistic design concept drawing material marketing customer equipment blueprint

Design Engineer, Designer, Industrial Designer, Product Designer

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.

Knowledge

Engineering and Technology

  • design
  • product and service development

Manufactured or Agricultural Goods

  • manufacture and distribution of products

Math and Science

  • arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics
  • physics

Arts and Humanities

  • English language

Skills

Basic Skills

  • listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions
  • reading work related information

Problem Solving

  • noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it

People and Technology Systems

  • thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one
  • figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it

Abilities

Ideas and Logic

  • come up with lots of ideas
  • create new and original ideas

Verbal

  • communicate by speaking
  • listen and understand what people say

Personality

People interested in this work like activities that include creating, designing, and making your own rules.

They do well at jobs that need:

  • Attention to Detail
  • Initiative
  • Dependability
  • Analytical Thinking
  • Cooperation
  • Persistence

Technology

You might use software like this on the job:

Computer aided design CAD software

  • Autodesk Revit Hot Technology
  • Dassault Systemes SolidWorks Hot Technology In Demand

Video creation and editing software

  • Adobe After Effects Hot Technology
  • Kapwing

Graphics or photo imaging software

  • Adobe Creative Cloud software Hot Technology In Demand
  • Trimble SketchUp Pro Hot Technology

Education

Education: (rated 4 of 5)
bachelor's degree or
some college
usually needed

Get started on your career:

Find Training
Apprenticeship.gov

Job Outlook

Average
New job opportunities are likely in the future.
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See more details at O*NET OnLine about commercial and industrial designers.