First of all, do you like drawing? Do you like doing 3d prototypes, models, renders? I want to highlight the use of the word like. I didn’t ask you if you are good at those things, or if you know a lot about 3d programs, Rhinoceros, Photoshop, etc. I asked if you like those things, if you enjoy doing that. I want you to understand that most of the people don’t know how to build a bridge when they begin with Civil Engineering, nor a doctor knows all the body anatomy, etc. Don’t put drawing in a different place, it’s something YOU CAN learn, you just have to enjoy it and spend time practicing.
I’ve been
drawing since I was a child and my advice is to always think of you as a
learner, always have a critic eye on your work, learn from books, copy, copy
and copy a lot from famous artists (but don’t sell the copies unless you want to get in trouble
hah), and you always have to compare to yourself and not to others! Carl Liu is
a good example of an Industrial Designer who was bad at drawing, he couldn’t work
where he wanted because he didn’t have the technical requirements needed, so he
decided to learn how to draw, he created a cartoony like drawing style that
fitted his abilities, and now he is a famous designer! You can see some of
his drawings here.
Back to
Industrial design, you have to know its main core is not just drawing, or
creating colorful and artistic things. Even when doing demo tapes will take you
a lot of time it is not the foundation of the career. Industrial design is
about creating useful things, comfortable for the user, things which make
people's life easier, simpler, and hopefully more esthetic. Summarizing it’s
about object design, which is different to Art.
You will
also learn a lot about materials, their properties and implementations. You
will do a lot of work with your hands, and probably you’ll get to know every
hardware store in the city. It’s a career in which you can have a lot of fun,
and freedom to create your own objects. You will start looking at the things
you use every day in a completely different way, and begin to think of what
improvements you can make… which details you don’t like, how the joints were
made, how the plastics were shaped, if that plastic is used to avoid friction,
etc.
Another thing
commonly asked when choosing a career is if you will be able to get a good job
or earn a good amount of money. My first answer to that is: DO what you love.
My second answer is that there is no recipe for success or happiness, and they
are also very subjective concepts and depend on each person. I can also tell you I know
Engineers who struggle to get a decent salary even after acquiring such a hard
degree. My conclusion is that it all depends on your personality and ability,
if you propose yourself to be the best you can in whatever career you choose, I
can assure you you´ll do well! Stop thinking life is divided in: Jobs you don’t
like but give you money and jobs you like but doom you to having low incomes, It’s
not like that!
Finally... DON’T WAIT! Don’t wait for someone to teach you, someone to give you the
solutions you need, for life to give you what you expect from it. Start today,
do what you love and love what you do!
If you think Industrial design is for you I encourage you to watch this great documentary, to learn more and see a lot of interesting stuff!
If you think Industrial design is for you I encourage you to watch this great documentary, to learn more and see a lot of interesting stuff!
"For the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: 'If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?' And whenever the answer has been 'No' for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something."
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