What is Industrial Design?
Industrial Design is a creative field that is a combination of art and engineering. It is the strategic process of design applied to products that are to be manufactured for mass production. It requires an analytical mind that can keenly observe and identify a problem, resolve it and co-create solutions to enhance the look, feel, and usage of a product.
An Industrial Designer develops the concepts for manufactured products by applying the skillset of art, business, and engineering. Mostly, everyday use of products like – automobiles, packaging, household products, medical equipment, industrial products, electronics, etc is designed by the Industrial Designer.
What skills do an Industrial Designer possess?
To be successful in the field of Industrial Design, one must have transdisciplinary skills.
An Industrial Design aspirant should possess the following specific qualities:
| Creativity | Problem-solving skills | Technical skills |
| Analytical mindset | Artistic ability | Visualization |
| Observation skills | Knowledge of Design Tools | Team player |
| Good communication – Verbal, Visual & Written | Good sense of colors, balance & proportion | Interpersonal skills |
What role does an Industrial Designer play?
Through proper sketching, Industrial designers conceptualize and produce designs for a wide range of products and systems such as furniture, automobiles, home appliances, electronics, medical products, etc.
The major roles and responsibilities of Industrial Designer include:
- Research on the target audience and the various usage of the product
- Conceptualize, ideate, or create outlines
- Work on software to create virtual designs
- Determine manufacturing requirements
- Work with other experts to evaluate the design concepts in terms of identifying whether it is meeting the requirements and also is cost-effective
- Evaluate the practicality of design
- Give a demonstration to clients for approval
Also Read: Top Engineering Colleges in India
Industrial Design Course Eligibility
Aspiring candidates can pursue an industrial designing course at both graduation or post-graduation level. The candidates need to meet the following eligibility criteria to get admission to any institutions that offer the Industrial Design course:
| Programmes | Eligibility |
| Undergraduate (UG) | The candidates must have qualified 10+2 from any recognized Board of Education. They must have scored at least 45-50% in aggregate in the 12th standard. |
| Postgraduate (PG) | The candidates must have qualified graduation in design from any UGC-recognized university.They must have scored at least 45-50% in aggregate in graduation. |
It is also important to keep in mind that the eligibility criteria for the industrial design course shall vary from one college to another.
Industrial Design Admission Process
The admission process for the industrial design course followed by top colleges is given below:
- Candidates are selected based on their merit in the qualifying examination like 10+2 or graduation.
- An entrance examination at the national level like UCEED, CEED, NIFT is conducted to shortlist candidates for the Industrial Design Course.
- Group Discussion or Personal Interview round may also be conducted at the college/institute.
Industrial Design Entrance Exams
Following are entrance exams through which industrial design aspirants can get selected based on the marks secured and get admission in the colleges/institutions:
- Undergraduate Common Entrance Examination for Design (UCEED)
- Common Entrance Examination for Design (CEED)
- National Institute of Fashion Technology Entrance Examination (NIFT Entrance Exam)
- NID Entrance Exam
- Pearl Academy Entrance Exam
- Other institute level entrance exams
Industrial Design Top Colleges
Following are the top colleges/institutes in India where an industrial design aspirant can pursue the course:
- Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi
- National Institute of Design (NID)
- UPES School of Design Studies (SoDS)
- Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay
- Pearl Academy
- Delhi Technical University (DTU)
- United world Institute of Design, Ahmedabad
- Industrial Design Centre, Indian Institute of Technology, IDC-IIT Bombay
- World University of Design, Sonipat
- Woxsen School Of Arts & Design
- Apeejay Institute of Design
- Srishti Institute of Art Design and Technology, Bangalore
- Jain University The D School, Bangalore
- School of Planning and Architecture – SPA Delhi
- School of Design, UPES Dehradun
- Vellore Institute of Technology – VIT Vellore
- D J Academy of Design, Coimbatore
- Chandigarh University, Chandigarh
- National Institute of Design, Kurukshetra – Haryana
- Priyadarshini Institute of Architecture and Design Studies, Nagpur
- National Institute of Design, Bhopal – Madhya Pradesh
- Symbiosis School of Planning Architecture and Design, Nagpur
Job Opportunities and Scope in Industrial Design
The scope of this field is wide and ever-growing with the changing needs of society. Be it advertising companies, colleges/universities, start-ups, retailing, or multinational companies, the career opportunities in industrial designing are immense for the students.
The main objective of industrial design is to make products valuable for both the consumer as well as the manufacturer. Hence, where there is a need to develop a new product or improve the aesthetics, sustainability, or usability of existing products, a creative industrial designer who has an analytical mind and innovative ideas for product design will always be in demand. Apart from being experienced, the freshers in this field also get equal opportunity to get hired for diverse job roles with decent salary packages.
Acquiring skills is one way to be successful in any of the areas but it is equally important to be updated about the current trends and have in-depth knowledge of the industry.
Needless to say, this course opens up endless opportunities for candidates seeking a creative field to showcase their abilities.