I am trying to see scopes of industrial designer in energy. I am not able to find much if someone can help me expand my knowledge it would be helpful.

Hello everyone!

My name is Daniel and I am an ID student in the US whose assignment is to design a lightweight backpack (a daypack with a size of 15-25 liters) for the European market*. I am using this survey to learn a little bit more about my target audience and gain insight into what design decisions I am going to make throughout the design process.

*European market was the starting prompt, but I am planning on narrowing my market down to Western Europe - after survey results are in of course.

Here is the link to the survey: https://forms.gle/11wqXb7u7scojZzr9

If anyone has other input that did not have a spot in the survey, please let me know in the comments! In addition, if anyone has any tips for designing backpacks or information that I should know in regards to European trends or knowledge, feel free to drop it in the comments.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this post and fill out the survey!

We are starting a project that will result in a family of audio products and I am hoping everyone can help me by taking this survey. Thanks!

https://forms.office.com/r/sAbDCEWdza

Hey everyone,

I'm looking for resources or catalogs that showcase different midsole textures and patterns used in footwear design. I'm particularly interested in:

• Standardized or commonly used surface finishes
• Functional tread patterns for grip or aesthetics
• Any material-specific texture guides (EVA, PU, TPU, etc.)

Does anyone know of databases, books, or online references that document this? Or do you have any go-to sources when designing midsoles?

Thanks in advance!

Trying to work on some designs, but i need shading to complete the desings to make them look better.

I recently graduated with a BFA in industrial design, and there's a lot I want to create. I'm capable producing a fair amount in my own studio, but I was wondering what other's paths have been like. What do you specialize in? What pays the bills? Do you offer services or do you produce by yourself? Do you own your own company?

Hi everyone, I’ve been accepted into the Master’s program in Transportation Design at CCS Detroit for September 2025 and received a $29,500 scholarship per year. I’m considering taking out a loan to cover the remaining costs. I also plan to take on part-time jobs and teaching assistantships to help cover expenses.

I’m 26, currently working as a lead UX designer at Infosys, and planning to pursue a career in exterior design. Do you think taking a loan for this program is a good decision, considering my future prospects in transportation design? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

This is the weekly questions thread. Please post your career questions and general ID questions here.

*Remember to be civil when answering questions*

I know UF doesn’t have an ID program but I was wondering if any of yall here went to UF and ended up being a designer. Only reason I ask is because I got into UF as an instate student and would ideally not like to spend too much money to go out of state to study ID.

Hey!

I’m working on some fun educational toys and looking for a Product Design Intern who’s into CAD, design, and creative problem-solving. This is a fully remote role, so you can work from anywhere in India.

What you’ll do:

• Design interactive toys (think locks, keys, puzzles)
• Create 3D models (Fusion 360, SolidWorks, Rhino, etc.)
• Work on prototyping & refining ideas
• Add your own creative touch to make it awesome

Looking for someone curious, hands-on, and into designing cool stuff. If that’s you, DM me with your portfolio or past work!

I am a design engineering grad who has dabbled in product design and have worked with industrial design teams in the past. I want to make a portfolio but I dont have any projects to show for and I am struggling to find projects to do on my own too. What should i do?

Hi there!

I'm looking to possibly transition from a design-centered position to one that is engineering-based.

In a nutshell, I secured my bachelor's in Industrial Design a few years ago and have been working in the furniture sector ever since. I had my first job (part-time) lined up after graduation through a studio mate who found better opportunities elsewhere. I was the in-house designer for a small, family-owned contract furniture business, responsible for creating 2D drawings, running a small 3D printer farm, etc.

After a few months of working there, I added another part-time position at the firm where I currently work. It is an internationally recognized architecture firm with a furniture line that started 6-7 years ago. I am fairly involved in that realm, but because the main projects we work on often need more attention and have constant deadlines, I usually end up having to bounce between many projects (residential, hospitality, etc.) and help out in any way that I can. Being the only one with an industrial design background in the firm, I've had to adapt by learning new software and somewhat stray away from my roots. While I feel fortunate to even have a position in what seems to be a saturated market, I've working in my current position full-time for just about 2 years and have lost my drive.

I've been looking into industrial design job offerings every day for a long period of time and the listings are either uninteresting, require more experience than I have, or are just too far. While the creative aspect of industrial design is what drew me into it, I definitely enjoy utilizing the technical skills I've developed during my time in my program. Sometime last year, I started to entertain the idea of possibly diving into the world of engineering. As we know, there's a good deal of overlap between industrial designers' and mechanical engineers' core abilities.

However, the primary issues that relate to me include: not being too mathematically inclined, not having used any of my 3D modeling software's engineering features (simulation, CAM, etc.), only having a base-level understanding of manufacturing methods, etc. I spoke to a friend in the engineering sphere and he said to look for Manufacturing engineer or Design engineer jobs as those are the fields that have a similar foundation to that of industrial design. My next steps are to do more research on the field and see if there's a way I can break into it.

If anyone has had a similar experience or just has any advice to share, I'd be grateful to hear it! Thank you!

TL;DR: Considering switching to engineering (manufacturing engineering or design engineering) from industrial design due to the lack of open positions.

Hi, I’m a product design student (industrial design however you wanna call it) in my school we only learn how to use Rhino, I already know how to use Autocad, sketchup, vray and the whole adobe creative suite. Do you think those softwares are up to date with the reality of the job market or are there any essential software I will need in the future (specially because I really would like to work in the US, I’m from europe)thaanks

Just wanted to give a shout out to the ID students at CCS. I attended industry day yesterday, lots of strong work all the way down to the sophomores.

Keep it up!

Hello! 

I'm an architect by profession, with about one year experience in core architecture & another in furniture design, in India.

Do you think it's possible to pivot to industrial design without a formal degree? 

How different are the
•skills needed,
•payscale,
•scope,
•growth opportunities,
•work culture in the job sector than that of architects'?

Could you also suggest some good firms / studios / corporates to kickstart the journey? (India specific)

I don't have a niche preference since I'm just exploring but I still wanted to know how different the scene is in a corporate v/s startups (studios/firms) ?

Do you think it's possible to land a decent paying job with a portfolio showcasing the necessary skills?

Post your portfolio link to receive feedback or advice.

*Reminder to those giving feedback to be civil and give constructive advice on how to improve their portfolios.*

For previous portfolio review threads see below:

Portfolios Threads

Hey everyone,

I’m really struggling with my Industrial Design studies and would appreciate some advice. Since I was a kid, I’ve always dreamed of becoming a designer and later on decided to get into industrial design. But now that I’m actually in the program, it’s not going as I expected.

Getting in was tough, but I worked hard and made it. However, I already started doubting myself in the first semester. The program barely taught CAD, and even though I spent hours teaching myself, I’m still struggling with it. I didn’t really enjoy it, and just remember it as a really stressful time. In the second semester, I overcomplicated my project and made it way too technical. I couldn’t even produce a decent prototype, and even though I got a good grade because it was well thought out, it still felt like a failure. I really regretted not going with something simpler, like a redesign. At the exhibition, the audience seemed way more interested in perfectly arranged existing products, and I felt like I missed the point completely. Did you made similar experiences? Now, in my third semester, CAD still feels like a hassle despite putting in so much time. Everyone around me seems really confident, while I’m still struggling so hard. Which makes me really sad because this isn’t what I expected while dreaming of becoming a designer. It’s really frustrating, and I feel like my strengths like problem solving and sketching are getting lost in all of this… Has anyone else been through something like this and has some advice?

(I’m 21, just finishing my third semester, and to be honest, I don’t want to sound like I’m complaining, but it’s seriously affects my mental health..)

I'm in industrial design, last year. My talents are mostly in research rather than delivery. I keep being told that my skills and interests align more with design engineering which is frustrating because I went through many difficulties in my bc as it's a finishing based curriculum, without knowing design engineering was even a thing. Anyways, my gpa is too low for a masters. Any way to bank on my research and analysis talents? Can I as an industrial designer directly get hired for concept development and such without a masters? If so surely my portfolio would be something other than renderings and style(which i'm very bad at) and more something to highlight the research?

Hey so I have been looking into industrial design a lot lately, I have understood what it teaches and thought that might be good for getting a job for theme park design or engineering, can anyone share any thoughts?

I'm currently studying industrial design BA and considering switching to product design engineering BSc, how different are the jobs for these 2 majors?

Hello everyone. I just wanted to pour my heart out because the guilt is killing me. Back in 2022, when I was a third-year university student, I started working part-time at a high-end furniture company where I did my internship. After graduation, I worked there for another six months, but I hate furnitures. I wanted to move to a more innovative, user-experience-focused field. However, my portfolio wasn't complete because I wasn’t satisfied with it, so I never applied for new jobs—I kept postponing it. I don't like my third and fourth-year projects and want to create new individual projects to add to my portfolio.

Then a friend of mine told me there was an opening for a visual communication designer position at a home appliances company. I got in through a reference without a portfolio. They don't manufacture products; they import from China and sell here, so there's no product design department that i can transfer to. I've been appreciated as a visual communication designer at this company and now earn a good salary. But this company is a little old-fashioned, and not modern. So even if i stay in visual communication design, i still need to apply for new jobs in this field.

I want to be an industrial designer, but it's been 1.5 years since I graduated, i'm 25 y.o and I still don't have experience in the field. Just generic things like teamwork, team-leading, problem-solving etc, typical business life things.

In short, I can't transition to industrial design just because I haven't made my portfolio. How can I get out of this situation? Or should I accept being a visual communication designer instead?

Hi! I’m considering between Parsons (product design) and USC Roski (BFA design) for first-year undergrad, and I am pretty conflicted between the two. 

I grew up in California and absolutely love it here, but I also went to visit Parsons over the summer and really liked it. My ideal college experience is to have the social and “college experience” aspects of USC with the great design education/connections from Parsons.

Here are some of the pros and cons of each option listed out below. Some are kinda conflicting but that's also because I’m conflicted lol. 

USC Pros:

• Location: sunny LA, lively city, close to family, friends, familiar (I grew up in California)
• Large school/not just an art school: I can meet all kinds of different people take other classes 
• “College experience”: school spirit, sports, diversity, party culture, etc
• Campus: Parson’s doesn’t have a campus and I feel like I would feel less isolated with an actual physical campus

USC Cons:

• Not an art-focused school: may not get as good education, opportunities, or internships as Parsons (which is really important to me)
• I heard the tuition is crazy expensive… like 90K, but also heard they give out great scholarships and financial aid so idk

Parsons Pros:

• Art focused school: lots of funding toward design facilities, I’ll be surrounded by people who enjoy art and design like me
• Good connections in the art and design field which I can use to further my career and eventually find a job
• Great art and design education
• Location: New York City kinda speaks for itself, but its especially important here since there are so many amazing art and design museums (MET, Moma, Guggenheim, etc) and theres such a great art culture

Parsons Cons:

• Small school, all art-inclined students
• Not typical college experience (lacking in sports/school spirit culture)
• I heard the tuition and housing here is also crazy expensive, and they don’t give out as much financial aid as USC
• No campus: I literally know absolutely no one in NYC. Especially since it’ll be my first year away from home and living alone, I feel like I could be easily isolated without an actual campus which will be really difficult for me.

Ultimately, New York is a great city with so many things to do and opportunities. I know that the East Coast is generally better for art and design (with other great schools like Pratt, RISD, etc). However, I do see myself eventually moving back to California. If I make all these connections in New York, would that be a waste if I decide to move back to California? On the other hand, am I limiting myself by not taking a risk and going to New York?

Please share your thoughts and advice!!

Does anyone who is successfully freelancing or in a business development role at an agency have any advice on books, tactics, or mindsets that really helped you excel at selling design work?

I'm thinking more about nurturing a relationship and closing work with a prospective client, but advice on lead generation is welcome as well.