How to become a product designer.
I recently found that I was getting Google Hits trying to find out how to become a product desiger (Typ-Os Can be great in SEO). After looking online I saw that there isn’t really much advise out there to Students, or Anyone on What you have to do to become a Product Designer. So I will try summarize what I know in this post.
Step 1: Are you sure you want to design products?
I currently find that most BA product design students drop out of there first year of there degree because of the assumption that design is ‘an easy degree’. I am not sure where this idea comes from, but I think its because you are a “jack of all trades, master of none” that you can get away with being bad at lots of things. This isn’t really true, in reality you have to know about business, marketing, sales, engernering, material science, Art Design, Mechatronics, Electronics, Human factors, manufacturing, user experience, and a whole load of other stuff.
The definition of Product Designer is always changing, but basically we are “consumer bonder, we connect with engineers and consumers to create useful and well thought out products and services”
Step 2: Go to School.
There are many arguments about what the best product design school is. Most people will save Brunel, Loughborough, Bournemouth, Newcastle (Just because Jonathon Ive went there) and Middlsex. These are all great schools, and in the future I will hopefully plan to break down what each one has to offer. But in the end of the day you need to visit, meet the lectures, and make sure that the syllabusss is being cons tally updated.
Step 3: Read, Visit, Geekout, Sketch, Absorb
the commen is conception is that its all about doing stuff, pratical stuff, as the literate would say. The truth is that as product design covers such a large range of subjects you have to read about design, design history, new design movements, design blogs and stay constanyl up to date in this rapidly chanign filed.
You will also have to become a geek, these are the programs that I know very well.
> Photoshop
> Illustataor
> Flash
> After Effects
> Premier Pro
> InDesign
> AutoCad
> Solidworks
> Alias StudioTools
> Excel (Maths and Calcuations are very important)
> Web Skills (Dreamweaver, HTML, CSS, ASP, PHP, Flash)
What you also have to remember these are ONLY TOOLS, the first and most powefull tool is you pencil / pen, It is rare that I ever fire up and computer tool, without firing up my pencil / pen first. I would recommend saying that if you can’t think of idea on paper, you won’t be able to put it into CAD. There is nothing wrong with just being a CAD monkey and tackling problems in 3D space, you can even do 3D product design, that is all about CAD work. But keep in mind, you will be the CAD monkey, and not neciscaily working on your own ideas, which may suite you down to the ground.
Step 4: Get experience
Try to get a degree that offers a years work experience. I’m currently working at a lighitng design firm in Seattle, it is not only a great chance to work and actually get to make real stuff you get a good chance to develop your skills for your last year design project. It has given me the chance to further develop my portfolio, improve my reading and general design thinking.
If you can’t get a placement try to do as many design competitions as you can, jsut keep cranking them out. Even if you enter half finished bits of work, the experience will be great as this sort of rushed product is the bread and butter of most design consultancies.
While your a student i would recommend giving up your part time job, and just geeking out and learning the above programs. If and when you do need beer money try to get a job that will help with your career or at least give you more skills to expand your design business thinking. Its surprising how much you can learn about consumers working on the blunt end of sales, or about luxury products by working as silver service waiter.
Step 5: Get contacts.
Keep on networking, start small and just merge well with your class mates. You will learn the What?, Why?, When? from your lectures but you will find that pier group will teach you the ‘how’.
Look at everyone as a opportunity, everyone is a specialist in something. Reflect upon your own family, you might think that you have the most boring, bland family. The truth is, this is what the most of the population are like. These are “the consumers”, observe, ask and design for these people. These are the people who ultimately buy your products. Design for the people, the boring people.
> Get a Corflot profile, and a CarbonMade. These drive a lot of traffic to my site.
Step 6: Get a Job
So know you have finished University, you need to get a job now. I don’t really know what to recommend as I’m still a student. Just remember the best jobs are never advertised, use your network, publish online, do spec work, and just shamelessly self promote. Good work will always show its self, the job will follow your work.
Step 7: Make your Own Job. Freelance or you own Business.
Still no Job, Perhaps you just suck at being a product designer. (this is more than likly true) If so, go back, read, experience, observe and connect with manufactures to start creating real products, for example do you ever notice how few “real stuff” is on Corfolot. The is currently a huge problem between being able to design and manufacture.
If all fails and you can’t get a job, I would say just go at it alone. Start working with materials, designs and company’s. Sell yourself and your unquire design thinking. Remember your thinking process is unquire in the world, and many company’s just desing bad products because no one has ever challenged them.
Go forth wannabe designer, challenge the giants.
i m a student of +2 sc.,2nd yr.
i m interested in persuin product designin
cn u plz suggest d various examinations i hv to take up in this regard to get into a gud cllge in india.and also suggest abt d various cllge in india which provide product designin courses….
Comment by poulami kuila. — September 16, 2007 @ 12:00 am
thanks for the comment, Poulami. I am now aware of what you would need to do to get into a college in India. I would recommend a Google Search. If you can afford it, I would recommend leaving India, and getting the experience of another country and design methodolys. India is a great booming market and there are plenty of skilled manufactures that will need the skills of a product designers such as yourself.#
I recommend starting here, http://www.designinindia.net/everywhere/disciplines/product-design/index.html and checking out there schools and would recommend a post on there forum.
Keep in touch, and I hope your journey to learning product design is a fruitful one.
Ben
Comment by benarent — September 25, 2007 @ 3:19 am
thanks for the gud job . but how can a level 300 zoology student from university of ghana(west africa) become a product designer. thanks
Comment by ambright — October 4, 2007 @ 5:55 am
how about coreldraw and poser like i did?!
is that good to?
Comment by tomz — January 23, 2008 @ 6:50 am
U are completely right , I’m a design student (my course is acout graphic , product and fashion togheter but each semester you choose which subject do u wanna study) with emphasis on product design, and tottaly agree with u about everything and I woulf like to add another step : STEP 5.2
Get a life. Watch, read, travel, feel everything it’s in your life experience that u are gonna get material to create.
Comment by Gabriella — February 28, 2008 @ 12:07 pm
Thanks for listing info on your website for becoming a product designer. It seems that most schools offer only graphic design or fashion design, but have no “product design” focus. I already have an art degree but want to get into product design. Should I get an education in graphic design and pursue product design on my own time? Should I forget school and just enter contests and make a portfolio that way? What is the best alternative education I can take that will get me closer to knowledge base needed for product design? thanks.
Comment by Jason — March 13, 2008 @ 5:13 pm
Thanks for the comment Jason. I’m not too sure what to recommend, I don’t think I would necassy recommend another degree, but perhaps go for a masters that will let your art converge into products.
I would say definitely enter contest and build a portfolio that way. The work that gets the most notice are the projects that I quickly produced, but had a strong concept. e.g. The EnergyTree.
Otherwise Its a tricky industry to really bust into, but if u have strong design sketching skills I’m sure u will be ahead of many grads. I would recommend visiting some university and talking to some lectures of product design.
Good Luck!
Comment by benarent — March 14, 2008 @ 2:20 pm
hi friends,i m working as a 3d modeller in designing company,i have a little bit exe in product designing,i did 10+2 from commerce with maths,and now i want to do degree course in product designing as a correspondence,plz tell me the name,where i can do the course.plz help me
Comment by ankit — April 1, 2008 @ 3:04 am
Hi, I am doing a mechanical engerneering degree at the moment, and would like to go into product design. Would it be advisable to change the course I am doing, or would this degree give me the right skills for this career? Thanks for your help.
Comment by Annabelle — April 2, 2008 @ 12:52 pm
Hi, I am a student at Liverpool John Moores University studying Product Design and Digital Modelling. When you mentioned the five better Universities I was wondering whether employers would take more notice of your actual degree grade ie. a 1st, 2:1, etc, or would be more interested in where you actually got your degree from? This was an interesting article, thanks. Paul
Comment by Paul — April 16, 2008 @ 8:56 am
Hey paul,
Thanks for posting a comment on my blog. The simple answer is its you, your university really doesn’t matter. Especially in the UK where most of your work is left up to your own learning, and learn a lot, we do.
A classic example is Johnaton Ive, no one know of Newcastle? Uni before he became famous. Just keep on designing and expanding your portfolio, write a product design blog, no matter how rough, just get your work out their.
Good luck with your studies!
Ben
Comment by benarent — April 17, 2008 @ 12:59 am
i wish i would have known/thought about all this stuff when i was younger!
Comment by eebudee — May 5, 2008 @ 2:42 pm
wack. wack. wack. how you gonna write some bs on product design when you still in school son. this is why the british designers are such cocky shits. you cant get a job because rich boy design students are willing to work for free and you are not. start your own shit. dont work for no fuckers thats gonna pay you $15 an hour just to suck you dry of all your ideas.
Comment by sucka — June 28, 2008 @ 10:32 am
new york has the two of the best design schools. Parsons and Pratt.
Comment by sucka — June 28, 2008 @ 10:33 am
Just want to design products with the look of art involved. I very little experience but a thousand ideas, literally, a thousand. Please help. Thank you.
Comment by Manny — August 15, 2008 @ 11:18 pm
dear all Hi, I am a student of Rukmini Adyantaya Memorial Polytecnic, I studied there 1999-2001 3 years as a adft student i want continue as a disigner Product Designing and Digital Modelling. When you mentioned the five better Universities I was wondering whether employers would take more notice of your actual degree grade ie. a 1st, 2:1, etc, or would be more interested in where you actually got your degree from? so i want a sagestion to cotinue my ambition i got 7 years work experiance in garment industry so now i want to start my own disigning house that why i want to learn more so are you guide me which will be the suitable cource which will suite to my carier growth in disigner field i am from india presently working in indonesia any corespondence cource related to fashion disigning (AMIE or BS )
Comment by sudhir kamath india — November 18, 2008 @ 5:52 am