Industrial Designer

By: Nathan Clagg

Job Description/Overview

• Industrial design is a combination of applied art and applied science, whereby the aesthetics, ergonomics and usability of products may be improved for marketability and production. The role of an industrial designer is to create and execute design solutions towards problems of form, usability, physical ergonomics, marketing, brand development and sales.

Wages

• Hourly wages for Tulsa are $24.26. For Oklahoma it is $23.68 and the U.S hourly wage is $27.92.

• Yearly wages are as followed. Tulsa- $50,470 Oklahoma- $49,260 U.S- $58,060

Skills & Abilities

• Industrial designers need to Communicate, Work with People, Work with Things, and Manage Oneself, People, Time, and Things.

• They also need to Reason and Problem Solve, Use Math and Science, and Perceive and Visualize.

Outlook

• About 27 percent of industrial designers are self-employed.• Industrial designers will face keen competition for jobs. This is

because many talented people are attracted to careers as designers.

Knowledge

• Designers need to obtain knowledge in Design, Engineering and Technology, Mathematics, Production and Processing, Administration and Management, Computer and Electronics, Clerical, Customer and Personal Service, and Mechanical areas.

Helpful High School Courses

• Helpful electives to take in high school are Art, Computer-Assisted Design (CAD), Drawing and Painting, Graphic Design, and Public Speaking.

• Many industrial designers are self-employed. If you want to run your own business some day, you should consider taking these courses as well: Accounting, Entrepreneurship, and Introduction to Business.

Physical Demands

• Industrial Designers Frequently: Sit when creating designs, Repeat the same movements, and Use hands to handle, control, or feel objects, tools, or controls.

Work Activities

• Main work activities are talking to clients, researching products, creating drawings or sketches, and making designs for the product.