I want to become an Industrial Designer when I grow up!
Hi if you are reading this article there’s a good chance you decided to get a background in Mechanical Engineering. There’s also a good chance you made it through that degree only to realize, it wasn’t what you signed up for. You learned a ton of theory and are now a super talented cog in some big engineering firm. But what you really wanted was to create products, the look, the feel, the functionality, and the experience.
But I didn’t go to design school. What do I do?
Have no fear! Getting a foundation in Mechanical Engineering is one of the best decisions you could have made. If you take a peek at some of the most amazing industrial designers (like David Kelley), you’ll realize you’re right on track.
Many of us have heard the expression “form follows function” and it’s true. Far too often, designers lack the fundamental knowledge behind what can and can’t be made. Concepts and designs that can’t be manufactured, or are designed without mechanical constraints, can be a waste of time and resources.
"With a concrete background in mechanical design and a working skillset in industrial design, you’ll be equipped to build incredible things"
Build Your Toolbox (and library)
You don’t need to sit in a classroom to learn all the fundamentals. Give up your weekends and evenings. Read & Absorb. Practice. It’d be impossible to even scrape the surface of each subject in just one article, so the following is a handpicked list of my favorite books. The following books cover nearly all the skills you’ll need, ranging from basic design principles to sketching, prototyping techniques and even manufacturing processes.
CAD & SOLIDWORKS
Whatever you do, don’t jump straight into CAD (I can write another post just on this subject). If you’re a mechanical engineer, there’s a good chance you’ve got this covered. The industry standard is Solidworks, which can be quite pricey, so if you’re just getting started, download Sketch Up to familiarize yourself with 3D modeling.
Make Something Great:
I’m a strong believer in learning by doing. You can read, sketch, and take as many notes as you want. At some point you’ll need to muster up the confidence to start applying that knowledge. You’ll learn faster, fail harder, and refine your process better than anything else by doing. Start dedicating time to building things you’re passionate about. Now, I’m not saying to drop everything and start a company.
“The key is to start learning by doing. Dedicate your weekends to redesigning a product you think could use some work. Create a solution to a problem that’s been bugging you. Go through the entire design process, starting with research and working through ideation sketching and even prototyping. Document everything”