What does an industrial designer do?

Industrial designers are creatives working in the highly technical world of product development for manufactured products. They design with a deep understanding of the people who use and engage with a product or system.

industrial designers testing product designs
industrial designers reviewing prototypes of a wearable headset design

With in-depth knowledge of how to design in 3D, industrial designers have expertise in all aspects of what’s required to create a product for a client. This ranges from the materials and surface treatments required; to the layout of digital interfaces;  geometries of components; ergonomics and mechanics.

Why is industrial design important?

Industrial design is about making people feel good about the products they interact with and use every day. Industrial designers consider the way people use products, and design to improve that experience. Most 3D products you interact with every day, have probably been designed by an industrial designer.

waterproof connected headset for swimmers
waterproof communication headset design
smart walking stick for people with Parksinson's Disease
smart walking stick designed to monitor tremors in people with Parkinson's Disease

Industrial designers are talented visualisers and communicate ideas clearly in 3D for clients. This comes in many forms – from 3D sketches, concept renderings and animations; to physical 3D mockups, models and prototypes. Sometimes industrial designers use VR to interact with and communicate 3D ideas, digital concepts and prototypes. This helps clients and future users of products to understand what a product will look and ‘feel’ like.

industrial designer rendering a medical product design
industrial designer creating sketch of medical device in 3D
industrial designer and 3d models
industrial designer making quick models of hand held product
designer building a test rig in a workshop
industrial designer working on prototype in workshop

Communicating a 3D form can be complex. It’s essential that clients have a clear visual of a product design or concept and industrial designers provide this. They consider and work with the engineering aspects of a product to make it functional and beautiful at the same time.

With the rapid growth of digital and electronic products and systems, some industrial designers specialise in user interface design (UI) and user experience design (UX). Specialist UI/UX designers play an important role in product development.

prototype UI UX design
UI and UX development for smart watch
smart watch design with UI UX
3D render of smart watches showing UI

How do industrial designers help clients?

Industrial designers are expert problem solvers. They often work with clients to not only solve product problems, but to clearly identify what the real problem might be. Once a problem is clearly identified, the product design and development process is clear and focused.

designer in workshop with theatre seat prototype
industrial designer working on prototype to show client a theatre seat mechanism

An investigative breakdown of working out exactly what a client requires and mapping this out, is crucial in product development – saving time and money. Industrial designers work collaboratively with clients and the target users of their products. This is a powerful and valuable asset for any project. Combining experience and sharing ideas creates the best outcomes for clients.

Need an industrial design team? Talk to us.

Robin Zwama

Senior Industrial Designer

Pinakesh De

Senior Industrial Designer

Christian Tucker

Industrial Design Manager

stay connected

subscribe to our newsletter and receive regular updates