You know how you don’t know what you don’t know? Well, we didn’t realize that there are outstanding professionals called industrial designers who, just like all the engineers, can also assist you with your CAD file for your prototype. Luckily, we do know an industrial designer who not only brought this to our attention but also helped us understand what industrial designers do and how to add them to your “dating pool.”

Rob Nathan is an award-winning freelance industrial designer with a diverse education (Art Center and Middlebury College), broad skill set, and varied experience. He has been in the design field since 1997, having studied industrial design at the Art Center, and has worked as both an in-house and freelance designer and developer in the US and Canada. He’s the perfect guy to explain to us why industrial designers should be in our dating pool (alongside all of those engineers) when we’re looking at creating a CAD for a new prototype.

What do industrial designers do?

Our first question for Rob was, to be honest, we didn’t have a clue! So, Rob explained that industrial designers tend to fill a role between engineering and art, with business aspects such as marketing and future product line planning also being involved. We consider the function, aesthetics, production costs, marketing, and usability of products for specific markets or use cases when developing them. The products could be anything, from footwear and apparel to cars or even concept designs for movies and video games. Industrial designers who focus on creating products, as opposed to environments or concept art, are also referred to as product designers.

Hmm, what exactly is the difference then between you and, say, a product engineer?

We would have more training in the artistic and aesthetic side of product design than a traditional engineer. Industrial designers don’t have as much mathematical or engineering training. However, many of us have other degrees as well and/or pick up a lot more of the engineering (mechanical or electrical) on the job. Our roles overlap with those of engineers, and in some cases, we can replace each other.

So, what kinds of jobs do industrial designers usually do? Do you often work in 3D printing?

You’ll usually find industrial designers in job roles such as structural design, aesthetic design, concept design for new products or line extensions, user interface design, ergonomics and anthropometrics, market research, color and finish selection, planning mass production, and prototyping. I have clients who come to me for a wide range of projects, from a napkin sketch or a simple idea for a product to an existing product that needs revisions for one reason or another. Or they may need photo-realistic renderings of a product that hasn’t been prototyped to a marketing-ready level yet. I can say you usually won’t find an industrial designer completing FEA (Finite Element Analysis) or other structural analysis … That’s more of an engineering specialty.

I’m still unsure how I’d decide whether to swipe right on an engineer or an industrial designer…

Here’s a good example from my work of how industrial designers can be helpful on a project: Think of a ski binding. If one engineer designs the toe piece and another designs the heel piece, the result may not appear cohesive. They may have nailed it when it comes to the function, but they may want a designer’s help in making both parts look like they are part of one system and perhaps match design cues from other products in the company’s line.

If you’re still unsure, here’s the short of it: The focus for an industrial designer is overall product design, which also means that we don’t necessarily specialize in designing for 3D printing. These days, 3D printing is utilized in some way to create the majority of designs I’ve completed, whether that’s for prototyping (what I’ve seen most often) or for mass production.

Now, the big question is, how do I find industrial designers to add to my “dating pool?”

Rather than swiping right on Tinder (shockingly, industrial designers don’t lead with their professional experience on Tinder), Rob has a few recommendations of where you might be able to find an industrial designer for your project:

• Visit the Canadian Industrial Design Association (ACID) website, which features resources for hiring industrial designers with various specialties.
• For those who prefer to work with someone local, a Google search for a regional industrial or product designer will likely yield results.
• You could also look at the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA). Though they primarily list large firms, you can go through those firms to find freelancers.
• Coroflot is a website dedicated to connecting freelance designers with work opportunities. You can post jobs on their job board and sift through portfolios to find the right fit.
• And, of course, there is always LinkedIn!

So, long story short, there are A LOT of professionals out there who can help you create the CAD file for your prototype. You have multiple resources to find the one that fits your prototyping needs and budget. So go forth, swipe right, date, find your match, and get that CAD baby!

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