National
| Median wages (2008) |
$27.57 hourly, $57,350 annual |
| Employment (2006) |
48,000 employees |
| Projected growth (2006-2016) |
Average (7% to 13%)
|
| Projected need (2006-2016) |
16,000 additional employees |
27-1021.00 - Commercial and Industrial Designers
Develop and design manufactured products, such as cars, home appliances, and children's toys. Combine artistic talent with research on product use, marketing, and materials to create the most functional and appealing product design.
Sample of reported job titles:
Designer, Industrial Designer, Product Designer, Design Engineer, Product Engineer, Creative Director, Electrical Designer, Mold Designer, Package Designer, Product Development Engineer
Tasks
- Prepare sketches of ideas, detailed drawings, illustrations, artwork, or blueprints, using drafting instruments, paints and brushes, or computer-aided design equipment.
- Direct and coordinate the fabrication of models or samples and the drafting of working drawings and specification sheets from sketches.
- Modify and refine designs, using working models, to conform with customer specifications, production limitations, or changes in design trends.
- Coordinate the look and function of product lines.
- Confer with engineering, marketing, production, or sales departments, or with customers, to establish and evaluate design concepts for manufactured products.
- Present designs and reports to customers or design committees for approval, and discuss need for modification.
- Evaluate feasibility of design ideas, based on factors such as appearance, safety, function, serviceability, budget, production costs/methods, and market characteristics.
- Read publications, attend showings, and study competing products and design styles and motifs to obtain perspective and generate design concepts.
- Research production specifications, costs, production materials and manufacturing methods, and provide cost estimates and itemized production requirements.
- Design graphic material for use as ornamentation, illustration, or advertising on manufactured materials and packaging or containers.
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Tools & Technology
Tools used in this occupation:
| Desktop computers |
| High capacity removable media drives — Universal serial bus USB flash drives |
| Liquid crystal display projector — Liquid crystal display LCD video projectors |
| Notebook computers — Laptop computers |
| Personal computers |
Technology used in this occupation:
| Computer aided design CAD software — Ashlar-Vellum Cobalt; Autodesk AutoCAD software; Siemens PLM Software UGS NX; SolidWorks CAD software |
| Desktop publishing software — Adobe Systems Adobe InDesign; Microsoft Publisher; QuarkXpress |
| Graphics or photo imaging software — Adobe Systems Adobe Photoshop software; Corel Painter; McNeel Rhino software; Xara Xtreme |
| Office suite software — Microsoft Office software |
| Video creation and editing software — Autodesk 3ds Max; Chaos Group V-Ray software; MAXON CINEMA 4D; Softimage XSI |
