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Job Definition
View MovieDevelop and design manufactured products, such as cars, home appliances, and children's toys. Combine artistic talent with research on product use, marketing, and materials to create the most functional and appealing product design.
Job Zone

Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed

Most of these occupations require a four - year bachelor's degree, but some do not.

Interests
Artistic - Artistic occupations frequently involve working with forms, designs and patterns. They often require self-expression and the work can be done without following a clear set of rules.
Realistic - Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.
Enterprising - Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.
Knowledge
Design - Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
Engineering and Technology - Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
Production and Processing - Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
Clerical - Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.
Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
Mechanical - Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
Skills
Time Management - Managing one's own time and the time of others.
Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
Mathematics - Using mathematics to solve problems.
Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Operations Analysis - Analyzing needs and product requirements to create a design.
Troubleshooting - Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.
Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Active Learning - Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
Tasks
Advise corporations on issues involving corporate image projects or problems.
Research production specifications, costs, production materials and manufacturing methods, and provide cost estimates and itemized production requirements.
Design graphic material for use as ornamentation, illustration, or advertising on manufactured materials and packaging or containers.
Develop manufacturing procedures and monitor the manufacture of their designs in a factory to improve operations and product quality.
Supervise assistants' work throughout the design process.
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.
Develop industrial standards and regulatory guidelines.
Participate in new product planning or market research, including studying the potential need for new products.
Coordinate the look and function of product lines.
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.
Prepare sketches of ideas, detailed drawings, illustrations, artwork, or blueprints, using drafting instruments, paints and brushes, or computer-aided design equipment.
Wages

In 2008, the California average annual wage was $76,570.00.

Most people employed in this occupation were paid between $36,030.00 and $130,070.00.

Outlook

During 2006, there were approximately 5,900 people employed in this field in California. It is projected that there will be 6,600 employed in 2016. This occupation will have about 70 openings due to growth and about 160 replacement openings for approximately 230 total annual openings. This occupation .

Colleges and Training
Below are college programs that are generally associated with this occupation. To view colleges that offer these programs, click on the titles below.
Commercial and Advertising Art - A program in the applied visual arts that prepares individuals to use artistic techniques to effectively communicate ideas and information to business and consumer audiences via illustrations and other forms of digital or printed media. Includes instruction in concept design, layout, paste-up, and techniques such as engraving, etching, silkscreen, lithography, offset, drawing and cartooning, painting, collage, and computer graphics.
Industrial Design - A program in the applied visual arts that prepares individuals to use artistic techniques to effectively communicate ideas and information to business and consumer audiences via the creation of effective forms, shapes, and packaging for manufactured products. Includes instruction in designing in a wide variety of plastic and digital media, prototype construction, design development and refinement, principles of cost saving, and product structure and performance criteria relevant to aesthetic design parameters.
Similar Occupations
Landscape Architects - Plan and design land areas for such projects as parks and other recreational facilities, airports, highways, hospitals, schools, land subdivisions, and commercial, industrial, and residential sites.
Architectural Drafters - Prepare detailed drawings of architectural designs and plans for buildings and structures according to specifications provided by architect.
Art Directors - Formulate design concepts and presentation approaches, and direct workers engaged in art work, layout design, and copy writing for visual communications media, such as magazines, books, newspapers, and packaging.
Fashion Designers - Design clothing and accessories. Create original garments or design garments that follow well established fashion trends. May develop the line of color and kinds of materials.
Interior Designers - Plan, design, and furnish interiors of residential, commercial, or industrial buildings. Formulate design which is practical, aesthetic, and conducive to intended purposes, such as raising productivity, selling merchandise, or improving life style. May specialize in a particular field, style, or phase of interior design.
Set and Exhibit Designers - Design special exhibits and movie, television, and theater sets. May study scripts, confer with directors, and conduct research to determine appropriate architectural styles.
Orthotists and Prosthetists - Assist patients with disabling conditions of limbs and spine or with partial or total absence of limb by fitting and preparing orthopedic braces or prostheses.
Costume Attendants - Select, fit, and take care of costumes for cast members, and aid entertainers.
Model Makers, Metal and Plastic - Set up and operate machines, such as lathes, milling and engraving machines, and jig borers to make working models of metal or plastic objects.
Notes
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Job Openings
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