Industrial Design

Industrial Design is the practice of designing devices, objects, products that people use in their day-to-day lives. It primarily focuses on the functionality, physical appearance and manufacturability of a given product which could enhance its overall experience and value for its consumers. 

Industrial Design can be pursued at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. It requires a common skill set including User Research, Visual Storytelling, Rapid Prototyping & Testing, Color, Materials & Finishes, Basic Engineering & Fabrication and so on. The key subjects that are taught in the Industrial Design courses are Design, technology, drawing, business etc. Those who have an interest in design, a passion for creating things and persistence to learn new things are suitable for the course.

Today, there are nearly 45,000 professional industrial designers in the country working in areas like Environments and Retail, Furniture, Consumer Electronics, Personal and Lifestyle, etc. What an Industrial Designer typically does is consult with clients to determine requirements for designs, create physical prototypes of their designs, evaluate product safety, appearance, and function to determine if a design is practical among other things. Experienced Industrial Designers often advance to the head of the design department or a chief designer with an average monthly salary of Rs 70,000. Scroll down to learn more about the course such as eligibility criteria, top colleges, job prospects, admission process, etc.

Industrial Design Course Benefits

• In terms of learning benefits, the Industrial Design course offers the scope of acquiring knowledge on design concepts and their related aspects. The candidates are introduced to digital skills, multimedia, graphic modelling, web design etc.
• Through the Industrial Design courses, candidates are prepared in the manner that they can easily explore a wide range of job opportunities available in the industrial design industry.
• India has top Industrial Design degrees that help professionals to achieve bright careers in the field of design. 
• India’s job market has good scope for industrial design professionals. Getting a good job here depends on the colleges and courses. Most Industrial Design courses come with industry-oriented practical learning, which helps the candidates to be industry-ready in all aspects.

Industrial Design Skills Required

Candidates willing to learn about Industrial Design must enroll in an Industrial Design course. They should possess certain skills that will help them to acquire the learning at its best. Pointed below are some of the skills that aid to advance the process of learning in a great way:

• Creative Skills
• Problem-Solving Skills
• Communication Skills
• Artistic Skills
• Understanding of Basic Design Tools

Industrial Design Course Types

There are different types of Industrial Design courses like Certificate courses, Diploma Courses, Post-graduate Diploma Courses, Undergraduate courses, and Post-Graduate Courses. Tabulated below are some of the crucial information related to all these Industrial Design Courses:

Industrial Design candidates need to meet the eligibility criteria given below in order to get admission in any institution that offers it. If the candidate doesn’t meet the criteria, his/her candidature will be rejected.

• In order to be eligible for undergraduate programmes in Industrial Design, candidates must have qualified 10+2 from any recognised Board of Education. They must have obtained at least 45-50% in aggregate in 12th standard. 
• In order to be eligible for postgraduate programmes in Industrial Design, candidates must have qualified graduation in design from any UGC recognised university. They must have obtained at least 45-50% in aggregate in graduation.

Note: The eligibility criteria of colleges a course in Industrial Design shall vary from each other.

Industrial Design Admission Process

The admission process followed by top industrial design colleges are given below:

• Candidates will be selected on the basis of their merit in the qualifying examination like 10+2 or graduation. 
• An entrance examination at the national level like UCEED/CEED will be conducted to shortlist candidates for the course. 
• One round of GD/PI may also be conducted at the institute.

Industrial Design Entrance Exams

Industrial Design aspirants will be selected on the basis of the marks secured in one of the following entrance examinations:

• Undergraduate Common Entrance Examination for Design (UCEED)
• Common Entrance Examination for Design (CEED)
• NIFT Entrance Exam
• Pearl Academy Entrance Exam
• Other institute level entrance exams

Industrial Design Top Colleges

Following are the top colleges where an Industrial Design enthusiast can pursue the subject:

• Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi
• National Institute of Design (NID)
• UPES School of Design Studies (SoDS)
• Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay

The syllabus for Industrial Design will vary from institute to institute. Syllabi for both UG and PG courses are provided below to just give an idea of what kind of topics one might come across:

Industrial Design UG Course Syllabus

First Year:

Second Year:

Third Year:

Fourth Year:

Industrial Design PG Course Syllabus

First Year:

Second Year:

India has seen a growth in employment of Industrial designers by a significant percentage in recent years. The largest employers or recruiters of Industrial Designers include Manufacturing    Companies, Wholesale trade, Specialized design services, Architectural, engineering, and related services. Careers or job profiles linked to Industrial Designing are the following:

• Architects
• Art Directors
• Drafters
• Fashion Designers
• Industrial Engineers
• Interior Designers
• Graphic Designers

The average salary of a graduate in Industrial Design may range from Rs 30,000 to Rs 1,50,000 per month.

Industrial Design Future Scopes

In the present scenario, the job of an industrial designer has immense repute. As Industrial Designers focus on the user experience of a product, they are desirable for the MNCs that develop utility-based products for the clients. The talented and experienced Industrial Designing professionals are recruited both in the Govt. and private companies. With the continuous demand for industrial design services, the need for professionals is also increasing. Hence, there will be a great scope for the Industrial Designer in the future.

The advancement of technology has made consumers aware of the latest trends and they want something smarter every time they purchase a product. Therefore, those who have extreme creativity can excel in this field by fulfilling clients’ needs, experimenting with new ideas, creating designs and giving them a perfect shape by using their skills. In the future, the present trend will change and so will the needs of the customers. To meet these ever-changing requirements, the industry will require more Industrial Designing professionals in the coming days and it indicates the industry is safe for the professionals. 

Industrial Design Recruiting Companies

Some of the popular Industrial Design Companies in India are as follows:

Phillips

Wipro Industries

Toshiba

Adobe

Addidas India

VIP Industries Ltd.

Industrial Designs deals with the process of design making and how that design is used for production. As a profession, industrial design aims to fetch benefits for both the customers and the manufacturers. The course is designed in such a way, that the learning imparted on it can help the candidates to work as per industry requirements. The design industry is correlated with other industries and it is the field where maximum services are utilized. As the industry keeps expanding, the career is secured here. Fresh graduates of Industrial design start their career with decent remuneration which increases with time and experience.

Industrial Design Job Roles

Successful Industrial Design candidates are reputed everywhere. An Industrial Design course prepares the candidates in a job-oriented manner so that getting a job becomes easy for them. Below mentioned are some of the common Industrial Design Job Profiles available in the industry:

Architect- An Architect designs new buildings. And to do that he/she prepares drawings, develops proposals, presents the budget, etc. Apart from that, these professionals are also liable for restoring old buildings.

Art Directors- Art Directors are the professionals who deal with the visuals of an advertisement or any campaign. To do that they work with other designers, manage the designers’ team, produce storyboards, layouts based on creative ideas.

Drafters- The Drafters prepare designing drafts based on the engineers’ or architects’ design. They collect equipment specifications, gather materials to prepare the draft and ensure that all that is aligned to develop the draft meets the building technique parameters.

Industrial Engineers- The Industrial Engineers design production layouts, develop different processes to improve productivity and ensure that everything that is done in the organization meets the quality standard.

Interior Designers-An Interior Designers give aesthetic looks to the interior of the living and workspace.  They create planning as per the clients’ goals and then choose colors, textures, and materials to make the setting beautiful.

Graphic Designers- The jobs of Graphic Designers include designing creative content for magazines, brochures, websites, social media campaigns, videos, etc. They prepare visuals in an engaging manner to grab the attention of the clients.

Industrial Design Researcher- The Industrial Design Researchers identify target audience, then take their opinions on a certain product or service, experiment with the product based on that test, understand the user experience and bring the new solutions.

Automotive Designers- The professionals working as Automotive Engineers take part in the vehicle designing activities, including development, manufacturing, marketing of cars and other related activities.  

Industrial Design Job Salary

The table shows the annual average salaries of the different industrial design-based job profiles.