Interested to know your thoughts

I work at a small company and I am currently our only industrial designer. Upper management has recently decided to buy some licenses of Microsoft Copilot 365 and have tasked each department to figure out how we can use these new licenses to help with our respective disciplines. While I think AI can be very helpful in other disciplines I see very limited usefulness in ID. It can generate pretty images, but is bad at editing them, and it doesn't or allow me to download them in an easily editable format (multi-layer TIFF or PSD). The images often do not match reality and wouldn't work if manufactured. I do not show clients concepts without fully understanding how they would work (where do the batteries go, what materials is it made of, etc.) and the AI concepts just don't work. It cannot generate realistic 3D CAD or vector graphics.

I'm sure I sound like an old guy against innovation to some people (I swear I am in my 20s) but to me it feels like AI is the opposite of ID, stifles creativity and in-depth thought. Before I go tell my boss this is all a waste of my time, are there any ways AI has been helpful in your ID career or schooling?

Hi folks,

I run a consumer brand incubator and we're looking for an ID for a new earplug brand we are launching alongside a well-known artist.

We have the filter developed but need and ID to round out the design. Outside of coroflot, core77, behance, and linkedin - are there any other recommendations you would have to finding and ID for our project?

Open to folks here as well (didn't see a job board) with relevant experience.

Thanks!

I’m currently studying Industrial Design, but I’m considering moving toward the business side (management, operations, strategy, product management, etc.).
Do you think a master’s in Business Administration, Management, or a similar field is a good path? (i really dont mind not working on pure design/creativity) Has anyone here made a similar transition? I’d love to hear your experiences and whether it helped your career.

Hi! I’m new to design as a whole, and I recently just purchased Dieter Rams’ book “Less But Better”! I’m looking for more books like this by similar architects/designers. I like the simplistic nature of his designs. So I guess any artist similar to Johnny Ive and Dieter Rams. Thank yall!

Hello everyone, i m a highschool student from Turkey who has doubts upon studying ID. I qualify for the best ID diploma program in my country but here is the thing. I want to work aboard. Are there a lot of job oppurtunities out there? Is there a chance that i could be unemployed? (I speak english and german fluently)

Hi everyone,
I’m a Canada-based Industrial Designer with about 2 years of experience. I recently received an inquiry for a freelance smartwatch design project, but I’m struggling to estimate a fair quote for this scope.

Here is the client's scope of work:

1. Design System: Design strategy, product design language, visual identity, functional principles, and a rulebook to ensure consistency and scalability across future product phases.
2. 3 Enclosure Concepts: 3 distinct design directions, including concept sketches, 3D modeling, high-quality renders, and a design rationale for each.
3. Renders: 20 high-quality renders per selected concept (60 total), including studio white-background, multiple perspective, in-context wearable, and lifestyle/marketing views.
4. CMF & DFM: CMF options, manufacturing considerations, and product specifications.
5. Refinements: Midpoint design review and agreed-upon refinement rounds based on feedback.
6. Final Deliverable Package: High-res product renders for marketing/investor materials, multiple colorways, and final 3D source files/exports for engineering and manufacturing handoff.

Questions:

• What would be a reasonable flat project fee (USD) or hourly rate range for a 2 YOE designer on a project of this scale?

Thanks in advance for your insights!

Hello everyone,

I’m writing to ask for your help on a study topic in design. I am currently a second-year student in Object/Industrial Design, and I am preparing my final-year project, which I would like to focus on supporting people living with serious illnesses.

I am particularly interested in the role of furniture in the perception of emotions and feelings: how can the design of a piece of furniture influence a person’s emotional experience during the moment of diagnosis or throughout the course of their illness?

Would you have any testimonials, personal experiences, or thoughts to share? I am also very interested in comparative studies or work by designers who specialize in this field.

Thank you in advance for your time and your responses.

I was looking at the process of turning a product idea into something a manufacturer can actually work with. Most ideas start simply, a sketch, a reference image, or a rough concept. The harder part is translating that into clear manufacturing documentation. Dimensions, material specs, construction details, BOMs getting those right is one thing. Making sure engineering, sourcing and manufacturing all interpret them the same way is where most of the back-and-forth actually happens.

I put this idea together using AI to see how far it could take a rough concept. The output (shared in the pics) came back with dimensions, material specs, Pantone codes, construction details and component breakdowns, things that normally take a while to pull together manually. Having that structure ready meant I could focus more on reviewing and refining rather than building from scratch. I still went though everything manually before sharing but it got me to a reviewable draft a lot faster than starting from nothing.