design / engineering position job title

Design Discussions design employment
1

I have a position as an in-house product designer for a manufacturer, with some engineering functions as well. I have degrees in industrial design and mechanical engineering, and I am looking for a job title to put on my business cards, resume, etc.

Thoughts on a good hybrid job title? I find random mashups of the words “design” and “engineer” fairly unsatisfying and nondescript.

Design Engineer?
Industrial Design Engineer?
Industrial Designer AND Mechanical Engineer?
New Product Designer/Engineer?

Thanks for any advice.

2

Hmm, what about simply “god?”

Seriously though, part of our profession is being vague. It’s so hard to put a label on it, as we tend to transcend one department or role.

My suggestion would be Product Design Engineer. That pretty much covers everything!

In my opinion, leave “mechanical” out of it. For a designer, that label seems to indicate you lack any sort of creativity or artistic talent.

3

It would make the most sense to me if I saw a biz card with “Industrial Design Engineer” or “Design Engineer.”

Try Googling some or all of them to see what the results you get back have people in the same scenario.


Most people I meet still have no idea what an Industrial Designer is. “Oh, you design industry?”

4

Design engineer, a lot of industrial design jobs these days are asking for ‘design engineers’. Industrial design engineer sounds like too much to me.