Industrial Designer (VIC)

Education and Training:

To become an industrial designer you usually have to study industrial design or product design engineering at university. To get into these courses you usually need to gain your VCE. Prerequisite subjects, or assumed knowledge, in one or more of English, mathematics, physics, design and technology, business studies, visual arts, and visual communication and design are normally required. Applicants may also be required to submit a portfolio of work, sit a test and/or attend an interview. A number of universities in Australia offer degrees in these areas. Universities have different prerequisites and some have flexible entry requirements. Contact the universities you are interested in for more information as requirements may change.

Additional Information:

After gaining some industry experience, graduates may qualify for full membership of the Design Institute of Australia. Student or associate membership may also be available prior to meeting the requirements for full membership.

Related Courses:

While the following courses are related to this occupation, they may not necessarily lead directly to employment, nor provide the most direct pathway to the occupation. Courses which provide preliminary or informal training, as well as those which provide additional job skills following initial qualifications may also be listed.

*Course is offered by more than one institution. Click link for details.

Employment Opportunities:

Most industrial designers work for manufacturing firms. They also work for private consultancies and government departments.

Most designers should expect to spend several years after graduation engaged in industry gaining experience as staff designers before attempting to enter the highly demanding field of design consulting. Most manufacturers prefer industrial designers to have had some previous commercial experience.

Due to competition with overseas products that are cheaper to manufacture, Australian manufacturers are moving towards producing products with better design.

There is a broad range of opportunities in product design, including one-off commissions, small-scale production and industrial production. There are also opportunities to establish designer/maker practices specialising in such disciplines as objects of art and furniture.

Work is predominantly concentrated in the manufacturing sector, in Sydney and Melbourne.