TOPIC 3 - What Does an Industrial Designer Do?
The creative process - how to manage it , methods, evaluation, testing and evaluation of the work done.
3. What Does an Industrial Designer Do?
What is the job description of an industrial designer? Where do industrial designers find jobs?
In this part of the text, we would like to introduce the fundamentals of industrial design. The public, but often the industrial designers themselves, tend to view their work through the constructs of Romanticism. In many ways, even our artistic higher education institutions have not been able to abandon this vision. They often present and educate egocentric ”artists“ who romanticize their work.
If the work of an industrial designer is to make sense (in terms of ethics, innovation, and business), teamwork will be essential for you. Gaining information, prototyping, discussions
with people of different education and focus will broaden your horizons, make you think about the problem comprehensively, and get feedback.
Good products are created by well-managed teams of people, not, as is often presented, by romantic geniuses.
Trust and understanding between an industrial designer and the customer are imperative. Building such relationships is not a matter of a short time. Therefore, many companies build development departments in which industrial designers belong to permanent employees.
Another job opportunity is to work for specialized companies offering services in the field of industrial design. However, such companies often have further specialization such as design for healthcare, sports, transportation, and have long-term partners with whom they cooperate.
In most cases, industrial designers work in interdisciplinary teams where they design product innovations. The scope of their work can be wide: from the initial research and defining the product through the creative phase to the production of prototypes and their testing.
During the study of industrial design, we will try to simulate similar conditions, such as work in culturally and professionally diverse teams, work influenced by a language barrier, or work on themes for which precedents are difficult to find.
Together, we will try to work on different types of assignments and, similarly to mathematics, look for solutions using various procedures and strategies that lead to a good result.
It is not only about creating a "nice shape". Primarily, we are looking for a functional and innovative solution.