Other names for Industrial Designer:

What is an Industrial Designer?

Industrial Designers design and create products.  It’s important that the product is functional and easy to use.  It must be designed with the end-user in mind.

Industrial Designers may specialise in a particular field:

Furniture Designers:  design and create pieces for mass manufacture for domestic as well as commercial use.

Appliance Designers:  design and create products and appliances, for example:

White goods:  washing machines, dishwashers, fridges etc 
Household:  toasters, irons, vacuum cleaners etc 
Electronic: computers, laptops, pads, phones, ipods, etc

Vehicle/Transport Designers:  design and create all forms of transport from saloon cars to trucks, trains etc
Miscellaneous Designers:  design and create anything from funky soup spoons to innovative garden hoses etc and everything in between!

What does an Industrial Designer do?

• meetswith clients or manufacturers to discuss product to be designed
• researches the market for the product
• makes sure the approach to design factors in how the product will be used
• makes preliminary drawings
• makes proto-types and testing them in the environment it is intended to be used
• making adjustments
• once perfected – sends technical drawings to manufacturing department
• proposes new products they have invented/improved upon
• keeps up to date with trends and needs the market

Are you … ?

• creative and artistic?
• innovative?
• a person who can imagine in 3d?
• practical?
• logical?
• empathic?
• artistic and creative, yet practical
• a good communicator?
• technical?
• a person with engineering knowledge?
• able to handle rejection?
• a person who understands what’s marketable?

How do I become an Industrial Designer?

PATH 1

Cape Peninsula University of Technology

National Diploma in Textile Technology 

National Diploma in 3D Design

Durban University of Technology

National Diploma in Textile Design & Technology

National Diploma in Textile Technology

National Diploma in 3D Design

Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University

National Diploma in Textile Design & Technology

National Diploma in Ceramic Design

Tshwane University of Technology

National Diploma in 3D Design

National Diploma in Textile Design & Technology

University of Johannesburg

National Diploma in 3D Design

 National Diploma in Ceramic Design

Vaal University of Technology

National Diploma in Ceramic Design

PATH 2

Cape Peninsula University of Technology

BTech (Bachelor of Technology) in Textile Technology 

BTech (Bachelor of Technology) in Industrial Design

Central University of Technology

BTech (Bachelor of Technology) in Ceramic Design

Durban University of Technology

BTech (Bachelor of Technology) in Textile Design & Technology

BTech (Bachelor of Technology) in Textile Technology

Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University

BTech (Bachelor of Technology) in Textile Design & Technology

BTech (Bachelor of Technology) in Ceramic Design

Tshwane University of Technology

BTech (Bachelor of Technology) in Textile Design & Technology

University of Johannesburg

BTech (Bachelor of Technology) in Industrial Design

BTech (Bachelor of Technology) in Ceramic Design

Vaal University of Technology

BTech (Bachelor of Technology) in Ceramic Design

PATH 3

Bachelor degree in Industrial Design

TRAINING:

• CLICK HERE to check for a training institution near you to see what they offer.
• Make sure you understand their entry requirements for each course.
• To avoid scams, make sure your institution is registered with the Department of Higher Education. 
• CLICK HERE to check accredited Private Higher Education Institutions. 

OTHER CAREERS TO CONSIDER:  Furniture Designer … or … Set Designer 

Is becoming an Industrial Designer the right career choice for me? 

What is a Musical Instrument Maker?

Musical Instrument Makers design and/or build musical instruments.  They usually specialise in one area of instruments, for example: string (guitar, violin and cello etc).

Musical Instrument Makers are master-crafts people who use various techniques and tools, for example:  woodcarving, wood shaping, metal work and silversmithing, decorative painting etc.

Musical Instrument Makers also repair and restore instruments.  They might even make spare parts by hand.

When assembling an instrument, the Musical Instrument Maker will also be responsible for all the different things that may make up that instrument, for example:  installing the strings, tuning the instrument, adding the electrical components and any decorative features like metalwork and painting.  Some very expensive instruments may even be decorated in jewels, like diamonds, etc.

What does a Musical Instrument Maker do?

• discussing specific requirements from clients
• drawing up the designs
• quoting the job
• sourcing the materials: wood, metals, strings etc
• cutting, shaping, glueing, assembling, sanding, painting, decorating
• tuning the instrument
• repairing and restoring instruments

Are you … ?

• passionate about music?
• good with your hands and fingers?
• accurate?
• patient?
• detail orientated?
• practical?
• neat?
• proud?

How do I become a Musical Instrument Maker?

There are no courses that offer just Musical Instrument Maker training. 

To start off your career in this field we would suggest you learn to work with tools in carpentry and metalwork while still at school. 

Once you leave school you could try and learn the trade through an already experienced Musical Instrument Maker/Builder.

OTHER CAREERS TO CONSIDER:  Set Designer and Carpenter

Is becoming a Musical Instrument Maker the right career choice for me?

See below for more info.

OFO No:

What is a Furniture Designer?

Furniture is usually the term used to describe ‘movable objects’ one finds in a house, home or office environment.

The job of a Furniture Designer is to design and create new pieces of furniture by using parts of industrial design. These products are either sold as individual custom-made pieces or can be made in larger quantities in a factory. Mass produced furniture is usually sold in furniture chain stores.

Here are a few examples of furniture:

• Bedroom: (beds, headboards, side tables, chairs, bookcases, cupboards, etc)
• Lounge & Diningroom: (chairs, tables couches, coffee tables, lamps etc)
• Office: (desks, chairs, conference tables, shelves, storage spaces etc)

Furniture can be functional, decorative (like pieces of art) or both.

Materials that a Furniture Designer may use:

• Wood
• Plastic
• Hemp
• Material/Textiles
• Metal etc, or a combination

Some Furniture designers who work for themselves may create one-of-a-kind pieces while others, who work in furniture manufacturing companies, will design pieces for mass production.

What does a Furniture Designer do?

• researches through magazines and the internet for what’s trending and various style designs
• creates new concepts and designs
• chooses the right materials for the job
• meets with the client/manufacturer to discuss requirements
• sketches preliminary drawings
• quotes on the job
• makes final drawings either by hand or by using cad (computer-aided design) programmes
• crafts the piece of furniture by hand or using various tools
• keep up to date with skills and furniture fashion
• attends furniture shows and training sessions
• if a freelancer – markets their own business

Are you … ?

• creative?
• good with your hands?
• a person who can think in 3d?
• interested in interior design?
• quality driven?
• willing to work unusual hours?
• able to deal with difficult clients?

How do I become a Furniture Designer?

There are not a lot of places that offer just Furniture Design.  It’s usually part of another course.

Furniture Designers can start their furniture-making-skills-learning at school by taking woodwork and/or metalwork.  This will give them a base to work from.  From here, they can either study Industrial Design, Interior Design, Carpentry etc to add to their skill-set.

• COLLEGE OF CAPE TOWN

Offers the following:

• National Certificate: Furniture-Making: Wood Level 2
• National Certificate: Furniture-Making: Wood Level 3

OTHER CAREERS TO CONSIDER:  Upholsterer … or … Industrial Designer … or … Interior Designer

Is becoming a Furniture Designer the right career choice for me?