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Industrial Designer

Occupation Information table
Overview: Industrial designers create and compliment the form, shape and covers for manufactured products. The design ideas are based on appearance, function, serviceability and manufacturing process. They design products ranging from chairs, to coffeemakers, to airplanes.
Duties: They meet with engineers and marketing staff who are responsible for producing and introducing a new product to the market place. Determine the product purpose, how it is used & who will use it.

They study the technical drawing and specifications for the new product. Determine the kinds of controls & displays needed to operate the product & its general shape based on its components.

Prepare rough drafts, sketches or even clay models to propose how the final product would look and how users would operate it. The objective is to produce artistically pleasing products.

They conduct experiments and studies of early versions of the product with users to evaluate their opinions about the attractiveness of the product and how easy it is to be used.
Degree(s): A.A.S. Architectural Technology 
A.A.S. Mechanical Engineering Technology 
A.S. Theatre: Concentrations in Acting or Technical Theatre 
Job Outlook: Employment in this field is projected to grow 2% to 4% from 2018 to 2028, which is slightly slower than the average projected growth for all occupations.
Salary Range (National Average): $30,000 to $36,000
Green: Green Career
Education Level: Training for this occupation generally requires an Associate Degree from a 2 year or community college.
Additional Training/Education: Industrial designers generally have a bachelor's degree and technicians, an associate degree. Knowledge of computer-aided design and human factors engineering is important. Beginners must often acquire a minimum of three years of work experience in the employer's product line before advancing to management positions. Technicians assist the desinger.
Recommended Skills:
  • Analyzing requirements for a new product or service and creating a design to satisfy those needs.
  • Weighing out the options in a situation or a problem and logically choosing the best course of action.
  • Painting, drawing, crafting, sculpting and creative designing.
  • Paying attention to what other people are saying, and taking time to understand the points being made.
  • Allocating and budgeting your time for different tasks so that things get done when needed.
  • Using mathematics and/or statistics to solve problems.
  • The ability to understand complex written paragraphs, instructions, or reports.
  • Using logic to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
  • Analyzing the symptoms of a problem and deciding what actions should be taken to resolve the problem.
  • Composing and communicating your ideas in written form.
Recommended Values:
  • Being able to express creative ideas through the arts.
  • Having the ability to work with equipment or material things.
 

* National data collected by the Department of Labor in 2014 with projections through 2024. For New York green job information .

* For New York salary data information .

* For New York green job information .

Understanding acquiring positions in this field may be enhanced through continuing academic study (i.e. earning a baccalaureate or a master's degree) and/or work experience in the field, Queensborough Community College has established transfer agreements with other institutions for students who wish to further pursue their educational goals. Students are highly encouraged to meet with one of our Career Services to fully understand the opportunities available through study in their degree program.