I've always wanted to be an aerospace engineer. The thought of creating something so magnificent like a hypersonic aircraft, or a space-satellite.

The truth is that in most cases, these engineers end up in a cubicle staring at graphs and equations all day. Adding numbers, a man in a team of 50, never seeing what his work becomes, never designing or creating his own product.

I don't want to be a chart-reader.

What kind of engineering would allow me to do hands-on work? From the sketch, to the lab, to the prototype?

What kind of engineering (or other field) would allow me to create my own product?

For instance, take into consideration the Ariel Atom, or the Jawbone Earpiece. Some guy (and a small team) in a studio dreamed, drew, tried, and crafted these amazing pieces on engineering.

Something that would be called a "Engineering Designer" or something of that sort.

Another great example would be Tony Stark, from Iron Man. (Please Forgive me) Dream, Design, Build.

What kind of schooling would I need? Majors, independent studies, hobbies.

And what would this field be called?

You, my friend, are talking about Industrial Design. I'm majoring it it now, and it's friggen sweet. Most people don't know what industrial design is. I's pretty much coming up with the look, design, feel ergonomics, aesthetics, concepts, and process of manufacturing of anything and everything used in everyday life. It's the design of everything from cars to shoes, from airplanes to that plastic thing that dispenses candy, and from that sleek new computer monitor to the desk it's sitting on.

I'm majoring in it now, and am in my 3rd design related internship. The stuff I work with is all confidential, since it has to do with things that are not yet out to the public. In the major, you learn sketching, model making, 3D computer aided models, and making prototypes either by hand or with a rapid prototype machine. You also learn about materials, how things are made (blow molded, injection molding, thermoform...), learn about different types of materials to use for things (PVC, ABS, polystyrene, polycarbonate, brushed aluminum, steel.....).

It's such a vast major, and is so needed, but it's still very unknown, and most people that want to do that kind of stuff end up doing some kind of engineering instead and are disappointed. It's a fascinating topic, and definitely something worth looking into if this sounds like your thing.

There are lots of schools that offer it, if you're in or entering higher education soon. Look into the IDSA (Industrial Design Society of America) (assuming you live in the US)

If you want to see some of the projects I've done to maybe get a feel of what school is like, I can post pics.

Oh, and yes, if you were to put a title on Tony Stark's job, that would be industrial design, heavily influenced by mechanical engineering and programing.

Dude, you're the best. In industrial design, would I get to engineer how the item works?

Sorry it's late and I can't think too well, I don't know how to articulate it:

Aside from aesthetics, would I be able to design how the product WORKS, like the uses and stuff?



Pics would be fucking AWESOME.

Think of it like this. Lets say you're designing a new type of toaster. It has a sleek new look, and the think that you're heating goes into it in a certain new way. You'd get the constraints..size, target market, target price..., and then start thinking about it. You'd first come up with concept ideas.. maybe it loads from the top, maybe on a tray that swings from the side, whatever it may be. Then you start refining it, coming up with the shape, look, and a general idea as to how it would work. Depending on the kind of work you're doing, you might stop there, or then continue to come up with the actual working functions and the materials used to make those movements. The movements, though, would pass through an engineer, possibly a mechanical engineer, to make sure it'll work right, or work at all.

Some industrial designers just come up with the shell of something, some come up with the shell and the movements, and some do the shell, movements, and exactly how it moves or works. The major is very broad, and there are a lot of options out there.

So, one last simple question.

Considering the Jawbone and the Ariel Atom.

Actually, just the Ariel Atom.

It was an Industrial Designer who thought up the car?

It was an Industrial Designer who designed this thing? The Chassis, the parts (stolen from the Honda CivicR), the look, the tires, and even the boot?

or, it was an ID who drew it, did the basic structures, then the mechanical engineer fine tunes the parts?

Is there such an ID where you can both design and do the fine tuning of the machines? (i.e. the mechanical engineer's job)


so this would be Industrial Design?:
http://www.yankodesign.com/index.php...w-designworks/

To answer your questions, I'll start backwards. That link would be something designed by an industrial designer. That site has a lot of cool designs, predominantly done by IDers.

Looking at the Ariel Atom, which i have no prior knowledge of, looks like the main concept was done by an industrial designer. Whoever made it was probably given constraints like length, general size, number of passengers, and pretty much the idea of it (like "I want a vehicle that can hold 2 people, is low to the ground, and gets good gas mileage." or something like that). Then the industrial designer comes up with concepts in the form of sketches, and would show it to the people giving them the project, like the manufacturers. once a concept is made, it would be refined. A mechanical engineer would probably be working on the project as well, making sure things work out, but the designer is kinda responsible for how it looks, and tries to make it as accurate as possible so an engineer doesn't go and change things to get it to work, which would mess up the design of it. But in the end, it would be mechanical engineers doing the calculations and prototype making to make sure it worked.

If you're more into design, then I'd recommend going into ID and taking some machine classes to learn more about how things work and how to make things. If you're more of a number cruncher, where you look at what someone else designed and you make it work, but can sometimes work alongside a designer, go into mechanical engineering and take some design and maybe marketing courses.

I think, just by what you're saying, that we have a lot of the same interests. I originally thought about going into engineering until i learned of Industrial Design, and it fits me so well. what year of school/age are you? try looking around in your area to find some ID firms that have to do with what you like, I'm guessing cars and such, and see if you can get a tour. Designers are usually very nice, and are willing to help students.

I'll post my portfolio soon. I tried uploading it last night, but something wasn't working, so I just went to sleep.

I'm 17, born and raised in LA.

I've been attending Community College for about an year now, I'm a high-school drop-out. I'm one of 'em trouble kids, did two years in Juve.

Interests, eh?:

I'm not too much of a line artist-- I'm not too handy with a pencil and paper. (Broke about 9 bones in my right hand, several sittings.)

I love creating, I'm a creator. I've dreamt of being a roboticist, but the software aspect of the field weighed down my interests for that career.

I'm very mechanical, and yes, I love cars. I love toys, really. From ridiculous amounts of LEGOS to handmade furniture and custom, "mickey-mouse", auto parts. I mean, I've build extra rooms in a warehouse with just me and my brother (ventilation, electrical, insulation, flooring, paint, framing, drywall)

A DIY kid at heart. If a picture would describe me best, it would be a really big Rupe Goldberg Machine ;P.

Truthfully, I want to build machines. Not gadgets, not High Definition televisions or design a product to market.

I mean, those are fine, but if I really were to choose, I'd build something like the Ariel Atom, or a more efficient electric car, a better battery, if you will.

I think I want to avoid designing a cellular phone for toddlers, a trendy electrical drum set, or a remotely adjusted light fixture.

I want to do slightly larger scale projects (i.e. a automobiles, furniture, etc) , but I want them to be MY ideas, instead of working in a huge team and working on 1/100th of the project itself, never seeing how my work truly affects the end product.

Looking at the site I gave you, those small scale projects seem fun and amusing, but I want to make a difference. In my own life, and in other's.

Sorry if any of this is too convoluted, I've come down with a horrid case of pneumonia and my mind isn't functioning at 100%.

Is Industrial Design the one for me? I mean, I don't just want to draw a picture of a car and give it to a mechanical engineer and say "make it".

Fuck, maybe I'll just do both ME and ID. DUH!

Sorry to double post, but. Where are you?! I need hhheeelllp!

Industrial design, can I design function over form?

I would love to create my own stuff.

Sorry about the absence, I took a weekend away and and was only online for a few minutes over the weekend.

Based on your description of you, I think you're better suited for mechanical engineering than industrial design. But that doesn't mean you can't do both.

Last summer I worked at a toy design company. I really can't say who it was or what we worked on, but it was some really cool stuff. I helped a mechanical engineer there make a working prototype of something, and that guy was amazing at getting something to work using only a few hand made custom parts. He'd been in the field for over 20 years, and got his degree in mechanical engineering, but was working with designers in a design studio.

A company would come to them wanting to make something new or in competition with someone else, and the designers would come up with the idea, it'd be looked over by the mechanical engineer if it had moving parts, the company would approve it, and he'd make the prototype to send out, and someone else would program it. It was a nice small design studio, but they made some really popular toys. They had a shop in the studio with band saws, mills, sanders, a paint booth, lathes, a CNC machine, and some other things. It was a really nice setup, and since it was a semi-small group, everyone helped with everything.

It's good that you're figuring this stuff out early. If you know what you want to do, you can focus on that. One really big thing that helps is send out e-mails to design or engineering firms to try to get an internship like over the summer. You'd learn so much at one of them.


Here's my portfolio. I'm 20 and going into my Junior year of design school.

The hook in there was chosen from the class, and it's being prototyped in China right now.

Nice portfolio, I'm..
..well nevermind what I am, it's a different field and more on the engineering side. But nice, an I like the flexibility that you guys have, how many year is your course?