Industrial Designer
Last updated · Confirm dates, fees and eligibility on the official website before you apply.
Designs manufactured products - form, use, materials and how they will actually be made. Sits between engineering and aesthetics, and has to satisfy both.
- Route in
- Earliest entry: Undergraduate. Also entered at: Undergraduate, Postgraduate. Direct entry. 2 courses lead here
- Entry pay
- ₹25,000 – ₹60,000 / monthly Any experience
- Where you work
- Technology product companies, Manufacturing and consumer goods firms, Startups, Design studios
How people get in
Getting in
Earliest entry point. Undergraduate level.
Other levels people enter from. Undergraduate, Postgraduate.
Where people work
Outlook
Technology product companies, Manufacturing and consumer goods firms, Startups, Design studios.
Indicative starting salary
Understand the role
25,000 - 60,000 per month at entry level.
This is an indicative range, not a quote. Actual pay varies with employer, city, sector and the specific role.
The route in, step by step
6 steps from where you are now.
Class 12, any stream Required
Physics and maths help for the engineering side, but design entrances test aptitude, not syllabus.
Clear UCEED or DAT and take a B.Des Required
UCEED for the IIT B.Des programmes, DAT for NID, or NIFT and other design schools. Four years covering form, materials, manufacturing and user-centred design.
Learn CAD and prototyping Required
SolidWorks, Rhino or Fusion, plus sketching and physical model making. Industrial designers who cannot make things produce designs that cannot be made.
Understand manufacturing Required
Injection moulding, sheet metal, die casting and their design constraints. Design for manufacture is the difference between a concept and a product.
Work in a design studio or in-house team Required
Consumer appliances, automotive, medical devices or furniture. In-house teams give depth in one category; consultancies give breadth.
Senior designer, M.Des, or your own consultancy Optional
CEED opens M.Des. Independent consultancy is viable once you have both a portfolio of shipped products and manufacturing contacts.
Courses that lead here
2 mapped routes into this career.
What it pays
Indicative bands.
| Stage | Pay band | What changes |
|---|---|---|
| Any experience | ₹25,000 – ₹60,000 / monthly | Varies by employer |
These are ranges, not offers. Pay varies by city, employer size, sector and your own skill more than by job title. Treat the band as the shape of the market, not as a number you can hold anyone to.
Common questions
The ones people actually ask about this work.
What qualification do you need to become a Industrial Designer?
The earliest entry point is undergraduate level. People also enter from: Undergraduate, Postgraduate.
Where does a Industrial Designer usually work?
Technology product companies, Manufacturing and consumer goods firms, Startups, Design studios.
What does a Industrial Designer earn to start?
25,000 - 60,000 per month is a typical entry-level range. Pay varies with employer, city and sector.
Test this against your own priorities
Pay, hours and entry route matter differently to different people. Compare this against the alternative you are actually weighing, rather than against the average.