Do you enjoy it or after a few years does the buzz of design go and it just becomes a job?
What's your typical day made up of? (I know that there is no such thing).
Some background behind my question:
15 years ago I did an industrial design degree (and got a 1st) but like everyone else on the course I struggled to find a job actually in industrial design.
I went into the POP / Retail display industry which has many transferable skills but is generally less attention to detail / lower volume / quicker turnaround.
I've done fairly well in that industry but since being made redundant last year I've realised that a) I'm unlikely go anywhere further without setting up my own business, and b)bricks and mortar retail and therefore the need for displays is declining so the industry hasn't got much life left in it.
Therefore I'm now thinking about going into industrial design, particular as that industry is strong in the area I now live in (Cambridge). I expect to have to start at a fairly junior level with the associated pay cut but hopefully I can rise fast.
Any thoughts are much appreciated.
I do a mix of industrial design and UI/UX design (as well as a bit of every other kind of design). Like you out of college back in 1995, I found it difficult to get work, so ended up riding the dotcom boom instead until I went freelance in 2005.
I was lucky that the first client I got, wanted me initially for web work, but then tested me out on ID, which I've been doing for them ever since.
I never find industrial design boring. For a start, the variety is usually large (especially if in an agency or freelance as opposed to in-house). It's always a massive challenge, and there's always something to learn (although not quite as mad as the world of web has gone).
If you've always fancied going back to it, I would say give it a go.
Jobs still seem very much in demand though.
The main experience worth touting is if you've worked closely with manufacturers in the retail side.
Good luck!
Thanks,
I worked in house on the retail side for Dyson for 6 years so I'm hoping that will help.
A lot of Industrial Design is CAD driven, as you probably well know, so brush up on your skills if you can. Catia is the lead for a fair few industries, automotive and aerospace. I'm not so sure about product design. Catia also runs quite nicely on a laptop if you happen to find a licensed copy knocking around somewhere 😉
Bigger companies may ask for recognised training courses and certification. You may also have to go through the joy of assessment centers and Psychometric testing to get the job you want. There is a lot of practice for this sort of thing online. The Psychometric testing is very easy to fail even for the very gifted as it looks for thought patterns and lateral thinking. These are often visual based for engineers and designers.
If these come up practice and practice some more as they eventually get easier.
Good luck with it.
Thanks
I'm pretty experienced in Solidworks and have use Pro E and Inventor so that shouldn't be an issue, although my surfacing is a bit rusty.
I'm sketching skills aren't great which is my biggest concern.
I did a masters in Industrial Design as a bit of a career change after a Mech Eng degree and working in Aerospace for a few years, now working in Medical product design.
I do a bit of surfacing in Solidworks and found Matt Lombard's book 'SolidWorks Surfacing and Complex Shape Modeling Bible' pretty useful for picking up the basics.
My sketching skills aren't great either, tend to make up for it by jumping onto CAD as early as possible.
All the best