Table of Contents
What is Industrial Design?
Industrial design is the design employed in the manufacture of products through the techniques of mass production. Every industry has a unique design for their products and several factors are put into consideration before choosing a special design for industrial production. All products manufactured are as a result of the design process and the nature of this process can take many forms: it could be conducted by an individual or a large team. Industrial design is a course so many people now consider studying because of the creativity that comes with it.
People with creative minds find this course even more interesting and relevant to study. For the most parts, they take time to learn how to create and design solutions for problems of form, function, usability, physical ergonomics, marketing, brand development, sustainability and sales.
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Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Design – What it Entail
Design is key and a lot of things around us come with different designs. Obtaining a bachelor’s degree in Industrial design comes with great flexibility and versatility. People who decide to obtain a degree in industrial design do not limit their level of creativity and imagination, also bearing in mind the guiding principles of design. Industrial design cut edge application with Industrial design, Graphic design, Interior design, Fashion design, User experience design, Architectural design.
A bachelor’s degree program requires students to complete introductory courses in art and design before official entry into the industrial design program. In some cases, students are required to write an entry portfolio of their sketch and designs. In the course of the program, students have the chance of going for an internship or even have a mini project work that allows them to build a portfolio. It takes nothing less than 4 years to obtain a bachelor’s degree in industrial design. To become very successful in this career path, it is helpful to have good art skills, computer skills, math skills and more. Some of the useful set skills required to be a successful industrial designer are Artistic Ability and creativity, computer skills, interpersonal skills, analytical skills, problem-solving skills.
What Can One do With A Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Design?
There are quite a number of paths to follow after a bachelor’s degree in industrial design, a graduate may decide to become an industrial designers, product designer and automotive designer.
Having stated some of the possible career paths, it is also very important to know some of the important reasons to enrol and become an industrial designer.
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10 Reasons to Study a Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Design
- As an industrial designer, there are a lot of global opportunities and tasks to carry out. In other words, the job prospect is good. The profession lacks geographical boundaries, which means it is possible to work with items from any part of the world.
- This growing sector is expected to grow by 4 percent, this is because consumers demand new products and different styles. In essence, jobs would be quite easy to get in this field.
- Aside from the prospect, industrial design is a high paying job with a very decent wage. The job can comfortably sustain a family and afford the opportunity to live the best life.
- It also provides an avenue for self-expression, which means it allows people to comfortably think and create their own ideas.
- Industrial design allows you to develop new concepts or rebrand old concepts; meaning it gives room for the development of new concepts if old concepts are no longer useful.
- There is a high level of flexibility associated with the job.
- In addition, it is a multi-faceted career which combines art and business acumen. An artist can merge its artistic work with business design. Studying Industrial design allows you to fully maximize your talent towards productivity and uniqueness.
- Industrial design combines a good knowledge of IT and artistic work. People who find artistic and computer-related skills can bring out meaningful designers with very good pay. For instance, having sound knowledge of graphic design paves way for a number of opportunities even in Tech companies.
- People with good problem-solving skill can find a useful application of this skill in industrial design because they will need to identify complex design problems. Therefore, industrial design help to sharpen the mind and develop good problem analytics and problem-solving skills.
- Industrial design provides people who are not comfortable to face the crowd to communicate an alternative, as their work will do the necessary communication on their behalf. In essence, the industrial design allows you to work at the background without being noticed, for those who value quiet life.
Career Paths to Consider After a Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Design
Industrial designers are usually the heroes of product development life cycle; they are indispensable in the field of product design. There are a lot of career paths opened to Industrial designers and here are the top opportunities available to people in the field of industrial design:
- Automotive engineer
- Future conservator
- Exhibition designer
- Graphic designer
- Materials engineer
- Advertising art director
- Production designer/Theatre/TV/Film
- Interior and Spatial designer
- Colour technologist
- Purchasing manager and Stylist
Best Universities to Acquire a Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Design.
Industrial design is offered by a large number of Universities Abroad, some of the best universities to study the course are:
- Ohio State University, the university offers industrial and product design degree program. It is a large public state university in a large city. The school has an outstanding record for the number of graduates in the department.
- Clemson University offers two industrial and product design degree just like Ohio State University.
- The University of Washington, the university offers four industrial and product design degree programs.
- Georgia Institute of Technology offers two industrial and product design degree programs.
- Stanford University offers industrial and product design degree program.
- Rhode Island School of Design offers two industrial and product design degree program.
- Carnegie Nellon University.
- Rochester Institute of Technology offers two industrial and product design degree.
- Loyola University.
- North Carolina State University.
The Worth of a Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Design
Usually, the worth of every degree is not easy to access until after graduation; it becomes more obvious if a course is worth studying after a few years of graduation. The estimate of all graduates of that field can then be analysed and accessed based on the employment ratio and their average salary as compared to other courses with the same length and cost. While some people believe that a degree in Industrial design is very relevant, some consider is a piteous waste of time and resources, insisting that there are other better options.
Some people argue that getting a degree in Industrial design alone is not enough to land you a good job, but rather getting a palatable job in the field is by who you know. Some even argued that many of the great Industrial designers didn’t pass through the four-wall of a design school but rather an art and architectural school. Some didn’t even go to school at all, they were just random artists who became a designer. In essence, the worth of the graduate is not only determined by the number of years expended in school but by the user experience and set skills they have gathered during their work. Majority of the industrial workers are given to people who hardly even studied it in school.
Although Industrial design degree is very valuable or businesses to employ but getting a degree in it does not guarantee a great chance of finding work fulfilment in the field. The mean annual wage salary for an industrial designer in the US is $66,590 while the employability ratio is projected to grow by 3% over the next ten years, slower than the average for all occupations. In other words, the demand for the occupation is not expected to grow so much in the next ten years.
Opportunities Open to Bachelor’s Degree Holders in Industrial Design
There is a wide range of opportunities available to Industrial designers, not necessarily in the field. This suggests that getting a bachelor’s degree could be a stepping stone to other career options. An industrial designer could decide to opt for a job in interior design with an average annual salary of 48,700USD/year. This job can be carried out for home or office builders who value quality interior design. Part of the role of the interior designer is to create a good living or working space that are pleasing, functional and safe for people.
Furthermore, an industrial designer may take up the role of a furniture designer with an average salary of 51,400USD/year. The work spans work for home, furnishing companies, creating custom furniture items based on client needs.
Automotive Designer is another career option open to people who studied Industrial design with an average salary of 80,700USD/year. This is by far one of the largest wage options to an industrial designer. They employ their engineering and artistic knowledge in the design of great motor vehicles.
Package Designer is another great option in Industrial Design with an average salary of 51,000USD/year. Industrial designers can find their relevance here as well as they can apply their design knowledge in making toy, electronics and may even find their relevance in the healthcare sector. They create, develop and test different packaging solution for companies.
In conclusion, as an Industrial design graduate, there are no limits to the number of opportunities opened to graduates from the field; however, it is very paramount to obtain the necessary set skills needed to thrive easily in this field.
