Becoming an Industrial Designer

From: CAROL D
Sent: Sunday, May 31, 2009 11:45 AM
To: idoneinfo@ID-ONE.net
Subject: Questions from a Mom

Dear Mary,

First, let me say that I am not selling anything and not asking for anything, except a little advice. I just saw a response you wrote in 2008 in response to an eHow article about what it takes to become an Industrial Designer. When my son told me he wanted to major in Industrial Design, I was worried. In spite of the competitiveness
of getting accepted into ____________ State University's Design School, he got in, and the Dean said that he was just the kind of young person that the school wanted: he's very creative, talented, super math skills, and has a wonderful, happy, outgoing personality. I'll add that he's 'kind' and 'cool.'

He has always had A D D (without the hyperactivity). I think the ADD is what accounts for his wonderful creativity and energetic spirit. Anyway, this also means that he is not destined to sit behind a desk all day reading memos for a living.

He has a year left of school now -

Here's my first question: Are there jobs available for new graduates in the ID field?
I know little about it technically. He is so excited about everything he does, like a little kid - - (I get to hear all about whatever project or model I'm funding;-) and I'm afraid that all this enthusiasm may lead to big disappointment when he graduates.

Do you think he should get his Masters (which he wants)before he
gets some work experience?
He has not had any internships. He has spent his summers working at YMCA camps because he loves the underprivileged kids that he works with and claims that they need him because he treats them with respect and its important for them to have that - - some don't get it anywhere else. He finally gave this up and this summer will work at the _________ Design Camp.

I guess when I saw that you are a Mom AND head of your own ID firm, I felt
a Mom cyber-connection and hoped you wouldn't mind my questions. Thanks for 'listening' to me. You've got a cool website, and I loved the video. Congratulations on all of your awards and accomplishments.

Did your Mom ever worry about you??? ;-)

Many blessings to you...
Carol D

Hi Carol,

While I am not an industrial designer, I did discuss your questions with our Creative Director (who IS an industrial designer). Our suggestion is to get an internship or a job in the field (or as close to it as he can get), before he goes on to get his Masters. I can’t tell you how many of my friends finished their degrees and got a job in their field, only to discover that they didn’t like the work. Graduating without any experience is going to make it more difficult to get a job as well.

As to whether or not he can get a job right out of school, normally I’d say yes. Many agencies like to hire inexperienced, but creative, staff, because they are cheap to employ and can be trained. A big concern though is the current economy. Right now I could hire any number of very experienced designers for little more than I would pay a junior designer, there’s just not a lot of work out there. Even consultancies like ours are cutting back because our clients are holding off on new product development. Still, we are probably doing better than most because we have the ability to work with a wide variety of clients, and outsourcing is less expensive for those clients still working on new products.

Regarding the ADD, my suggestion is to get a job with a consultancy like ours versus working with a big company. Designing one product all day long gets very tiring (whether it’s golf clubs, computers, or bolts). Even our guys try to break up big projects with other smaller ones.

Working for a consultancy does require many skills though, another reason to get a wide variety of work experience.
Multi-tasking – our guys usually work on 3-4 different projects a day. Attention to detail and some perfectionism is required, but you can’t spend all day focusing on one tiny detail or the firm does not make money.
Time Management – we often bill by the hour, and even if we don’t, our guys still have a set amount of time to work on each part of a project. A typical day for one designer might include: 2 hours of conceptual sketching for Product A, 1.5 hrs of materials research on Product B, 3.5 hours of computer modeling (CAD work) on Product C, 45 minute concept review of all designers sketches of Product A, 1.5 hours of sketch clean up and arrangement of chosen sketches into presentation format for client. And yes, I’m aware that that is more than 8 hours. A consultant frequently works more than 8 hour days, although we here at ID-ONE try to provide comp time and flex time to offset this.
Ability to take criticism- this job necessitates a lot of rejection. Not every idea is chosen for presentation to the client, and in the end, there can be only one concept chosen. Sometimes your idea is the best, but it is given to another designer to flesh out. Often the creative director will challenge you to become faster and more efficient by giving you difficult deadlines and tasks.
Computer skills- typing, spelling, presentation arrangement, the ability to quickly learn new programs – all very important. We have clients who only use Pro-E, or only use Solidworks. We prefer to use Rhino with V-ray, but not every new hire is familiar with these specific programs. A new hire would have to have some experience with CAD programs, and be interested in learning more.
Mechanical Engineering/Manufacturing – we hire mechanical engineers, but it is essential that our designers are able to communicate with those engineers. Also, manufacturing must be kept in mind at all times when designing a product. For example, we would never draw a picture of a flying pig, without knowing exactly how to make it fly. Knowing the strength capabilities of different plastics and whether or not they would need supportive ribs, the limits of curving metals, is silicone too expensive for this project?, would metal or wood work better in this large project?, can a piece the size of a desk be blow molded or does it need to be vacuum molded? (I have no idea actually, but the designers do, and if they don’t, they consult the mechanical engineers).
People skills – the ability to sell yourself and your ideas is essential for someone who wants to move up in a company or eventually do freelance work. The ability to work with both clients and coworkers (especially difficult ones) is a highly marketable skill.

Sounds like you have a son to be proud of! I hate to discourage him from working with the YMCA camps because he’s right, those kids need lots of support. My two teenagers (adopted last year) have special needs and I know that over the years they have gotten a lot from the people that “get them” and paid attention to them. If that is where his heart is though, he will find ways to continue to help even if it’s not at the camps. There are many ways to help under privileged kids that don’t require taking the Summer off. Our Creative Director takes frequent breaks to build houses or do mission work in other countries. My husband and I adopted children from the foster care system. Many of our clients support non-profit agencies with a portion of the proceeds from their products. A local industrial design organization auctions off donated art (created by industrial designers) to benefit a children’s charity. Big Brother programs allow you to work with kids on your own schedule (evenings and weekends). Just to name a few.

"Did your Mom ever worry about you??? ;-)"

LOL! My mom STILL worries about me!

Sounds like you’re a great Mom! Good luck to your son. Please let me know if you have any other questions.

Warmest regards,
Mary

Mary J. Brush President ID-ONE Austin
607 W 14th St Austin, TX 78701
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