For the past 10 years IT has directly or indirectly created jobs paying much respect for IXD, graphic designers etc…
There are 100’s of new graduates in ID and few as 5-10 max jobs. Even worse are the job cuts. How can we boost ourself and our ID market in creating jobs?Is it plausible to create ID jobs?
Ok I will start, what if there is a organization just for new graduates ( 1-2 years). A project is generated, invented and then all the designers participate from scratch to end and then share the income. Though the income could be very less at least you have some experience, pocket money. There are numerous inventors with low budget projects. We could get the project and provide employment to many.
The problem is what happens after 2 yrs, same situation?
It takes money to get a product invented and made. Real patents can run you $20,000 alone. Factor in another 5 to 6 figure investment for tooling and molding, and tack on marketing expenses. It takes money to make money inventing and marketing something.
Most 1-2 year grads lack the expereince to see a project through beyond pretty sketches and renderings.
The problem with serving low budget inventors is, most of them don’t have any realistic view of what it takes and lack the real money needed to get there. Individual inventors often require a lot of hand holding and support time too.
You probably won’t make enough money to pay yourself and your team of newbies a decent salary for all the time put in. That time can generate income at any other job and most people need to eat. One guy I know said he made more money from tips parking cars than from doing freelance ID work for small inventors.
It’ll likely have to be something done on the side while making money to live doing something else.
Best bet is to get investors for your idea and then dvelop and market it yourself. Keep it simple though, any complicated idea could sink your small operation. Ideally, make it a low part count, simple item that doesn’t need a lot of technology.
5-10 max ID jobs? Per year? For new graduates? Am I being overly optimistic that there’s far more jobs available than that?
There’s 115 Intern/Junior Staff jobs on Coroflot alone:
First thing that comes to my mind is Quirky! It looks like you can make a bit of cash there if you are lucky. I’ve tried, no luck yet. Also, I agree that jobs for new ID grads appear to be scarce, @28 in the last 3 months: Design Jobs & Employment Opportunities | Coroflot.com
However, I’ve only been looking since April, so I don’t know how this compares to previous years, etc. I’ve been thinking lately about making a small run of one of my school projects and selling it, or placing it in an exhibition (how?). Mark Newson made some big $ off his Lockheed Lounge chair he made in school.
If you think there only 5-10 jobs MAX available you must not be looking. I know companies that have 5-10 job openings for designers right now. There are 1000’s of jobs out there, it’s just a matter of fitting your desires, skill, location…
Ok, 5-10 is limited, currently coroflot is in 30for ID.
mpdesigner: I agree there wont be any money made. you definitely need 2nd job. But the point is you can have some experience working. Maybe we will learn the hard way.
mrtwills: yes there is 100’s and the matter of fitting. what is the name of the company that you know has 5-10 design opening? I will have a look into it.
The question is; like newly emerging career in IXD " creating jobs" (iPhone and android apps). What is the future in ID career. Can ID compared to IXD, (career wise)?
What are you talking about? That’s 30 on coroflot if you only include ID specifically. The chances of you getting a job doing exactly what you went to school for are slim to none these days (and have been for years actually). Ask nearly anyone.
Don’t limit your search to only Entry Junior Industrial Designer positions. Branch out, put your skills to use at a company that could use creative thinking.
Ofcourse, I was talking about just ID. Thats my question, if getting a job in ID is slim to none then what is the use in spending time in this career? I would have chosen something else. Ok. even in ID, jobs are very specific- shoe, lifestyle, electronics etc. SO if I have to compete with ID " which is my background" then what is the probability that I will end in a place with other design specification.
Some possibility to branch is 3d modeling, others- exhibit, PD, DM needs some prior experience.
Again my topic of discussion here is about creating new jobs in ID not that I have a job or not. For e.g. 3d modeling was introduced, then new jobs opened- a need for 3d modelers. SO Whats next?
Hate to be blunt but if someone has been sending out portfolios and haven’t found a job in a 3 years, it could be that they just aren’t talented enough or don’t have good enough skills. I honestly see a lot of portfolios that suck and a lot of people aren’t cut out for ID but that doesn’t mean they can’t do something great using their ID education.
A big part of ID is talent that is innate and hard if not impossible to teach. Just like playing in the NBA or NFL. There are a lot of players but only a select few get to play ball in the major leagues. Some get all the coaching but still aren’t good enough to compete at a certain level but they can go into things related, become coahes, commentators, etc. and still have jobs in the area of the profession. There are alot of people in jobs that support and are around the actual players.
Treat it like a design project. Design your own role. Brainstorm and come up with your niche or angle. Know what you are good at and be honest at what you aren’t and hire others to help you with your weaknesses or to do the stuff you hate doing or aren’t talented at.
It’s better to get expereince working with more experienced designers if possible. I think doing it with other inexpereinced guys is a much harder road becasue that would be learning from the school of hard knocks and blind leading the blind but if you can get gigs even with the inexpereinced team then more power to you. I just think even low budget clients still want good experienced guys to see a product through because to spend any money on problematic and amateur mistakes means they just threw away their money, no matter how cheap the fees were it would be risking a total loss for their endeavor/venture. I rather have a real surgeon cut me open than a newbie. The extra money is worth it because a mistake and mistep can cost a life.
I say the best way to create a job is to try to make your own product, might be a better way of gaining experience than trying to get lowball clients working with other newbies. It’s much more rewarding and lucartive too if you’re successful at it and you’ll get more out of this than doing any consulting job.
Best of luck.
great insight mp designer:
i agree upon making your own job. like practicing doctors, architects or lawyers.
Think of a company you want to work for, not just an ID firm for but a company that makes things. Go onto their website, and click “careers”. Many of them have design positions that are never posted on coroflot, or monster…
I used to work at Fossil in Dallas, they have 17 open design positions right now ranging from CAD designer, watch designer for Michael Kors, Fossil brand, mid-tier, soft goods… That does not even include all the GD positions. That’s just ONE company.
One thing you can do is look how well a company is doing right now. Many companies have been doing really well this year coming off the recession and now they are starting to hire again.
If you want to be a designer you have to be creative and that includes how you look for jobs.
I’ll second that. We have an inventor division in our company, and we have to do a LOT of upfront qualification and education about the process. Your design experience and educated opinion about how this product could be so much better? Totally goes out the window when someone is married to their idea. To be fair, we’ve had some really professional folks come through and we helped make them great products have been successes. However, very often you have people who don’t understand why they can’t call you at 10 PM on Saturday to go over lists of factories they found in China on the internet and why you can’t call all of them to find someone who will prototype their idea for peanuts.
I agree with other comments about doing your own designs - you’ll have to really be aware of small-run processes and how to make things that can be done cheaply to do it on your own dime, and there’s always a ton of time invested to making sure it all turns out.