automotive interiors career, right move?

Hi All,

I’m an industrial designer with experience mostly in consumer, technology and medical products, one of my current clients is a diffent monster altogether, an automotive OEM supplier. They have very nice projects for car interiors. Which is something I’ve been enjoying a lot!

I had never planned to be an automotive designer, but now this client wants to hire me to be part of their group. The opportunity seems a right fit in every way.

Here are my questions:

  1. how would this change my career future, I’ve always been a consultant and never have specialized in any industry, would this make me stay in a niche market for now on?

2.how’s the growth opportunity in the automotive interiors industry, considering I don’t want a management career path? I’m a very hands on guy who enjoys sketching and surfacing, and just managing my share of the work, not managing other people.

  1. How are my future freelance opportunities in this industry, should my job bore me down the line? I personally have had a very succesful career in industrial design working solo and picking work on a per project basis, could I eventually do the same in automotive or is this all done internally? (not freelancers in auto studios and such?)

I would highly appreciate any feedback on any of my specific questions or on this carreer move in general.

Go for it! At last years’ Auto Interiors show in Detroit, Ed Golden spoke about how they are becoming more and more interested in actual product designers, as opposed to grads from transportation design curriculums. Obviously they still need those guys, but with more and more emphasis being placed on interior design, they are searching for actual product designers.

Makes sense, you have a much more vaired pool of style in product design than automotive.

Biggest joke ever…Ergonomic exterior design, no shit, I heard this at the NAIAS. What, is the front end more likely to cause compound fractures of the femur?

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