Do You Have a Better Idea? A Look at Industrial Design

by Jessica Groach-Santina Jessica.groach-santina@careertrainingdirectory.com Career Training Directory Columnist

Do you ever wonder why the “snooze” button on your alarm clock is so hard to reach at 6am? Have you ever thought that finding comfortable shoes that are still stylish should be easier? Or asked, “why are CD cases are so hard to open?”

Whose IDEA Could Have Been Yours?

Industrial designers are charged with solving these and other of life’s simplest and most frustrating problems. Consider these winners from the July 2005 Industrial Design Excellence Awards (IDEAs):

• The Jeep Hurricane, by ChryslerGroup, is vehicle that actually goes sideways - its wheels turn up to 45 degrees in the same direction.
• The SHIFT bike, by Matt Grossman, Ryan Lightbody, and Purdue University, is a training bike that uses two rear wheels to help children balance at slow speeds. As the child speeds up, the wheels move closer together, slowly transferring balance to the child.
• The Rubbermaid Paint Buddy, by Beyond Design Inc., is a plastic bottle with an applicator, used to store leftover paint for easy touch-ups.

Are you wondering, “Why didn’t I think of that?” With training from an industrial design program, you could.

The Payoffs of Industrial Design

Industrial design is a keenly competitive field, that rewards its members. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported median earnings for industrial designers in 2004 at around $52,000 per year.

Training Is the Best Idea: College and CAD

Entry-level positions in industrial design or product design require a four-year degree from an accredited design program. Many advanced positions also require a master’s degree. Training in computer-aided design (CAD) is a must as well. While industrial designers sketch or build models to translate their ideas to others, the real design happens in CAD, so you’ll need CAD training. Industrial designers work with clients, marketers, manufacturers, engineers, and accountants, so being able to convey product design ideas effectively is a necessary part of the job.

Almost everything we use in our day-to-day lives, from our alarm clocks to our hair dryers, our coffee makers, our televisions, our cars, or even our shoes, started as product designs from industrial designers. In the end, your ideas can turn into real work that results in product designs that solve real-world problems, and improve our lives.

Sources

Commercial and Industrial Designers - Bureau of Labor Statistics
“The Best Product Designs of 2005” - BusinessWeek.com

About the Author

Jessica Groach-Santina is a freelance writer with a background in media and promotions. She also teaches first-year writing courses at the University of Nevada, Reno.