Commercial and Industrial Designers
Do you have an evil doll possessed by spirits? Do you actually believe there are dolls really possessed by evil spirits? You might be like me and think it's just superstition — except that a few days ago, my little sister left her creepy doll in my room, and just a few minutes later, the lights around me went out and I was startled to find the doll attacking me with a knife, nearly killing me. Then I woke up and realized it was just a dream — or maybe I'd just been an extra in one of those "Annabelle" or "Chucky" horror-doll movies. Of course, there are no dolls or objects possessed by spirits the way movies portray them — those dolls are just toys manufactured and designed to look terrifying to serve the goals of filmmakers, no different from the children's toys we see in stores. There are experts who specialize in designing the shapes of the various toys and products we hold in our hands, whether dolls, devices, tools, or anything else, and they're called "product designers." Product designers create drawings and designs for various products, either on paper or using computer software. They study what customers want and think about products that might improve people's lives, and how those products can be made with the best quality at the lowest cost, then they sketch and design prototypes of them on paper or in computer programs. Cars, smartphones, refrigerators, TVs, computers — all these products, in their many types and versions, have their shapes determined by the vision of these designers. A product designer might specialize in a specific sector, such as designing children's toys, home appliances, electronic products, cars, medical equipment, or furniture.
Meet the Writer: Waleed Abo Omiraa
What You'll Actually Do
The core tasks and responsibilities that fill a typical day.
- 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.
- 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.
- Develop manufacturing procedures and monitor the manufacture of their designs in a factory to improve operations and product quality.
- Fabricate models or samples in paper, wood, glass, fabric, plastic, metal, or other materials, using hand or power tools.
- Investigate product characteristics such as the product's safety and handling qualities, its market appeal, how efficiently it can be produced, and ways of distributing, using, and maintaining it.
- Participate in new product planning or market research, including studying the potential need for new products.