Explore career options in industrial design
Here you can find information on the types of careers and employment roles an industrial design program may land you.
You can also discover where to look for job vacancies, as well as professional associations, mentoring and international opportunities.
Opportunities
You will be prepared to work as an industrial designer, innovator, product designer, entrepreneur, creative designer-maker, designer for medical applications, or a designer in a specialist area such as automotive, additive manufacturing, or digital fashion.
This degree combines a creativity with industrial design innovation, giving you the skills of innovation and creativity characteristic of our programs in QCAD, augmented with the principles of engineering.
The degree takes a hands-on approach that uses advanced technologies such as 3D printing and computer aided design underpinned with tailored engineering learning to give you the opportunity to develop your engineering knowledge, professional practice and your design skills, bringing them together wherever practical throughout the degree.
Career fields
- Design consultancies
- Engineering consultancies
- Architectural consultancies
- Medical equipment industry
- Manufacturing
- Automotive and aerospace
- Product design
- Construction industry
- Furniture industry
- Packaging industry
- Film and theatre props and special effects
- Large-scale infrastructure projects
- Electronics and white goods
- Housewares design
- Project management
- Transport industry
- Marine design
Employment roles
- Industrial designer—concept development
- Graduate industrial designer
- Industrial designer—CAD
- Product designer
- Estimator/draftsman
- Modeller 3D—CAD/physical
- Signage designer
- Lighting designer
- Product development designer
- Furniture designer
Occupation snapshot
Employed
5,000
Future demand
Very strong
Weekly earnings
$1,373
Part-time share
21%
This data is based on the occupation profile for industrial designers retrieved from the Government's and websites August 2024.
Your employability
In addition to knowledge and skills directly related to your program of study, you will also develop a range of other skills such as teamwork, analytical, communication through academic study, employment, voluntary work, sporting and recreational activities and life experience.
Recognising the value employers place on these skills is an important factor in your graduate job search. You can further develop your employability with these resources:
Vacancies
Information on relevant vacancies can be found in a wide range of sources:
- (formerly Grad 色情网站)
Industrial Design graduates launch social enterprise
Griffith industrial design graduates Natalie Haskell, Kaecee Fitzgerald, and Natasha Dennis, along with Dr. Sam Canning, opened Splinter, an interactive store in the Gold Coast Hinterlands showcasing creative work by fellow alumni. The not-for-profit space on Tamborine Mountain features products such as lighting, ceramics and jewellery, all accompanied by voice recordings from the designers explaining their creative processes. Splinter aims to support local and emerging designers, providing a launchpad for their work and fostering community support.
Job application resources
Craft a stand-out resume and cover letter, and learn how to prepare for job interviews.
Approach potential employers
Many work opportunities are not advertised, so we recommend approaching potential employers with the aim of researching their needs and how your skills, experience, interests and qualifications could match theirs.
This is called informational interviewing and will benefit you by:
- clarifying your specific career direction
- enhancing your professional network
- increasing your chances of being offered a job.
Industry outlook
The website includes helpful information such as job descriptions, employment prospects, average weekly earnings and skills requirements. Every job title in the database has a skills section to help you identify and describe essential skills for your future career.
The website also has job descriptions and a useful career insight section.
The website has up-to-date information on graduate salaries, especially the Graduate Outlook Survey (GOS) National Report, which contains undergraduate salary figures.
More detailed information is available at the portal.
Professional associations
Joining a professional association is a great way to interact with people in your field who can assist you to explore your career options and potentially find employment opportunities. These associations hold regular professional development and networking events:
Students are welcome to join and often receive a discount on their membership.
Mentoring
The award-winning Industry Mentoring Program provides an excellent opportunity to further develop your employability and build professional networks.
The program is available to students with more than 80CP as well as recent graduates.
Sustainable Development Goals
Griffith University is aligned to the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals ( SDGs ) and is committed to combatting climate change and contributing to a more sustainable world, where resources are used efficiently, waste is minimised, and sustainable practices are implemented while fostering partnerships for the goals.
Further careers information
Careers counselling
Individual career counselling sessions are available to all current students and recent graduates.
You can book an initial appointment via CareerHub.
Career planning
Our website has an array of career planning resources you can explore at any stage of your student journey.
Career Readiness
Check out our Career Readiness site in Learning@Griffith for additional information and resources for your career development learning:
Similar career options
Please note: The content on this webpage is a guide only. Please refer to degree-specific information and accreditation requirements of your profession on the Degree and Course Finder website and with the relevant professional accreditation body for your degree.