Industrial Design or Product Design: Career Comparison
Comparison between Product vs Industrial Designer based on role, eligibility criteria, work experiences, courses, job profile, opportunities, payscale has been mentioned below. Check out the detailed comparison here.
Industrial design and product design are different yet related. Both these fields include design in them yet they serve different purposes. Confused candidates about careers after pursuing any course in these fields must check out the detailed career comparison in this article. Industrial design and product design both revolve around the creation and refining of products. While product design is more related to developing products to deliver solutions, industrial design involves executing these solutions to improve manufacturing. Refer to the detailed comparison of the career paths in industrial design or product design below.
Similarity Between Industrial Design and Product Design
Often, there is confusion between Industrial design and Product design as there is a great deal of overlap between the two. Product designer, on the other hand, deals with everything related to products, while industrial design deals with more specialized products, such as cars, computers, phones, etc.
- In general, product design is about creating products. A career in Industrial Design is about developing solutions and taking them to the market.
Note: An industrial designer can become a product designer. However, a product designer cannot become an industrial designer.
Comparison Between Industrial Design and Product Design
Industrial Design | Product Design |
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In Industrial design, ideas, and concepts are created for mass production, i.e., that can be manufactured and sold. Therefore, it requires additional work in order to convert and customize designs (product designs) so they can be manufactured. It's essential that you have an understanding of the production process. | The process of designing a product involves identifying a market opportunity, defining a problem, creating a solution, and validating the solution with actual customers. |
Industrial design cannot be regarded as a subset of Product design. | Product design can be regarded as a subset of Industrial design. |
In order to be an industrial designer, you must have technical/engineering knowledge. | Technical knowledge is not mandatory in product design. |
Additionally, you learn about business aspects of industrial design, which allows you to tailor products to market and business demands. | In product design, you need to learn about market needs and understand to develop the products to match the market needs. |
Industrial designing includes the whole lifecycle – starting from initial research to the last stage of manufacturing. | Product designing is just one part of the whole lifecycle, primarily the initial phase. |
Industrial Design is collecting ideas from concepts to business integration. It is focused mainly on the users, the products and the systems, the interaction and service regarding the business value. | Product Design is focused mainly on products, their design, and overall development. It is more about the users, the product, and the interaction between them. Product designers can be seen dealing with users and production systems. |
Also Read: Scope in Design Industry
Career Comparison between Industrial Design and Product Design
Product and Industrial Designer in a nutshell:
- A product designer is accountable for the user experience of the product, which usually includes moving towards the business goals and objectives from the management of the product. Some common entitle by which product designers are called; a user experience designer, customer experience architect, interaction designer, or information architect and user interface designer.
- An Industrial Designer is all about the concepts for manufactured products such as designing cars, electronics, home appliances, and toys. All such products are developed by an industrial designer. They combine creative art, business ideas, and technology to produce daily goods that people need.
The List of Comparisons on the Basis of Role, Eligibility Criteria, Work Experiences, Courses, Job Profile, Opportunities, and scale has been tabulated below for Product and Industrial designers:
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In conclusion, product design is majorly about creating solutions, and industrial design is creating solutions and taking them further to the manufacturing department. By referring to the above-mentioned career comparison between product designer vs industrial designer, candidates can choose the right career path as per their interest.
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FAQs
What is the difference between product design and industrial design?
The key difference between product design and industrial design is the aspect. Product design is creating designs and coming up with solutions on the other hand, industrial design is all about taking these solutions to the manufacturers.
Are industrial designers in high demand?
Yes, industrial designers are in high demand for their industrial designing skills in terms of new-age AI, 3D and other technologies. The salaries for the role are also high based on the demand.
Can an industrial designer become a product designer?
Yes, an industrial designer can become a product designer but it cannot be vice versa. Product design comprises the creation of products and industrial design is creating design solutions and taking them to the manufacturers.
Does product design have a future?
Yes, product design is said to have an immense future in the coming years. The demand for product design is increasing making the field a more popular and demanded profession.
Which is better, product design or industrial design?
Product design is all about the design of the product, it comprises reaching the design solution while industrial design revolves around the overall function, user interface and user experience of the product. Both fields are related to design, so it will depend on the student to choose which is better for them.