What Does Industrial Designer's Do Exaclty?

[Guest khusrouf]

[font="Arial"]I was thinking about what is the role of industrial designers in the design process, where's our role begins and when it's finished??? seemed to me that there's no fixed line, and the envolvement is different depending on the company you work in, for me I do more cad modeling than sketching!!

so exactly when we're in, and when our envolvement in the project is over????

[email=khusrouf@gmail.com]khusrouf@gmail.com[/email]
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[Guest RobMay]

I work in a similar way, my focus tends to be more towards the CAD work. However, i have noticed that a lot of companies put quite a heavy focus on sketching, especially traditional sketch rendering. As such i've just invested in a Wacom tablet so i can develop my digital sketching - kind of middle ground between CAD and traditional sketching.

I think the role of an Industrial designer is very much as you've put it - We can fill most design roles. I am personally aiming at Product Design positions and CAD design positions, not that i've had any luck since graduating!!

Can i ask what sparked this curiosity?

[engio 1]

As I've been taught we're involved from the very begining - the problem. We analyze the problem and do background research, come up with ideas, communicate them, evaluete them, improve them - all the way till the product goes to production. The best way to avhive a good product is to make an allaround design group containing designers, engineers, marketing folks.. work together to make a good product and an efficient process.

Also I'm pretty confident that your CAD or sketching skills won't make you a good designer.

[Porro 0]

Thats the great thing, we can be involved from product concept to manufacturing all the way to even marketing. Its your choice!

[Guest newkillerstar]

All valid answers. I've seen corporations who try to pigeon-hole us into the very beginning "development cycle", but our job truely does not end there. Some [i]designers[/i] (say that with your nose in the air), truely do just develop a pretty form and walk away - more of a "stylist" if you ask me. Industrial Designers, on the other hand, are involved much more than that. Dryfuss' sketch of the "2-headed designer" still applies today, with the IDer listening to and working with the marketing, sales, engineering, mfg, executives....

All designers have specialties and all companies have work-flows. We have to be versitile enough to fit their needs.

[Guest khusrouf]

well all what you all said is true, but don't you find that sometimes there is confusion between our job and mechanical or industrial engineers and we're expected to do what they're supposed to do???

I think our part - after the creation and concept development- is more cordination and keeping the project all tied up within the concept enitially created based upon the briefing we get in the first place, plz correct me if I'm wrong

[Guest newkillerstar]

No, not wrong necessarily. There is [i]loads[/i] of confusion as to what we do vs. that of engrs. Many engineers don't get it either. Its really more that we need to be knowledgable about the engineering end and understand it and be able to discuss it and adapt to it, rather that actually [i]do[/i] it. There is a bit of babysitting to be done. And even if we understand them, we need to be prepared to help with the engineering when they don't understand US.

[Porro 0]

I agree with Newkillerstar, but one thing with industrial designers, or designers in general. We need to be better in educating the people we work with or our bosses our role in the company and areas where we can add value.

Thats the majority of the thing i do, education. Its a slow process, and after being in my company for more than 3 years its only starting to show fruit.

[Guest khusrouf]

well Porro ur right, education is the key, for our company is kinda startup and it's all engineers, I was the latest addition you can say it's my responsibility to develop this area of interest.

sometimes I think I'm in trouble cuz I graduated recently and this is my fist work experience, on the other hand, it's a startup company and you know the complexity of a new business is something you don't get to see everytime, and the buisiness model is forming up. thats when you get dragged between the engineering part and pushing more toward the design side. (ROBMAY: that what sparked my curiousity, cuz I graduated and positioned in a startup company, somethings got confused on me)

do u have any idea from ur experience how can I push and develop the design role in such a startup company's business model???, we do plastic part and mold design by the way, mostly plastic bottles and some injections molds, branding, and some graphic design services.

[Guest MrG]

I can tell you what they don't do...... sleep.. thats for sure!!

[Guest khusrouf]

ya remember when i was at university, i used to have a good night sleep only on one day of the weekend most of the other days i couldnt sleep more than 3 hours tops!!

[Guest khusrouf]

now let me ask this,
do you think engineering based degree helps a designer's best, or art based degree???
I mean the conflect is there right???

[Guest yaoyao]

oh, learn a lot from the above,i have no base of art before i choose ID, but lucklily i have some talent on sketch,i think it useful for ID student to learn more knowledge about engneering,i found myself now lack of that……without that kind of knowledge ,some design idea are just like a house up in the air,do you agree ?

[Guest khusrouf]

to some what ya, in my work I always get stuck in technical problems, like we can't produce this! at that time I wish I can have a bigger technical background, but sometimes I feel it's a lot more complicated than that, you always shouldn't forget your target group, understand their behaviour, thats psychology, know their buying behaviour, thats marketing, know haow to run your project, thats managment, design it aesthetically baring in mind the human factors, colour and materials, not to forget the production limitations, thats design, understand how it's going to be produced by machining and CAM and other machining tools, thats engineering....
sometimes when I think where should I develpo myself in what direction, I get lost in all these elements....
don't you think??

[Guest Rulf]

Last year they changed the title's in my country to the international ones (bachelors and Masters). Before that a Industrial Designer received the the title of engineer.
But like everybody says, its where you want to be, and what your qualaties alow you to be.
I want to be involved in the engineering (CAD) of products because i like how you need to puzzle you way through to get the best results.
Most important thing everybody must remember that its always a team effort. Even if you are a free-lance designer... (i dont expect them to have their own production line) So where you end up is totaly to you, develop a healthy interest for all different area's then decide.