Design job in SOUTH AMERICA?

Design Discussions design employment
1

Hi everyone,
I would really like some advice…

I plan to take a 1 to 2 year trip in South America in 6 months. I was thinking of traveling a few months, try to work as an industrial designer 6 months to a year somewhere and then travel a few more months.
I was wondering in what countries and cities it would be interesting (and feasible) to get a job in and I’d love to get suggestions.

I would also like to know more what to expect when I get there: what computer programs are commonly used, is there a better time of the year to apply, is there good design websites that could give me more info… everything and anything you think could be useful.

Thank you in advance everyone!! :smiley:

2

Hi FraJ!

Well, what I really know is about Colombia, where I am from. If you’d like to go there, and you should… choosing a city is up to what you want to do.

Bogota is the capital city and it is beautiful and you can do whatever you want there, this city never sleeps and has the greatest places in the world… you will see. In Bogota you can find a job as an Industrial Designer in any field, however what you can find easier is in the furniture design field, events design, P.O.P, Stands, a little bit of Fashion design and a lot of graphic design (web, print, multimedia, TV, etc…).

Cali, my hometown is a very hot city and it is also beautiful, however at the moment is kind of disturbing because theres a lot of construction going on with the new transport system, and the city has gone through a lot of problems with politicians in the past few years. But of course you have to go there at least for 2 weeks to party like we do :astonished:) In Cali you can find Furniture Design but not to much, P.O.P a alot!, events and stands design and graphic design.

Medellin, is another big city in Colombia with a wonderful weather and wonderful people as well. This city has maybe the best Web/Multimedia and Information Design industry in Colombia, great firms there. and of course they have the common fields of furniture, P.O.P, etc… and some product design but I would not rely on finding a job designing products such as white electronics and stuff.

Cartagena… well I dont think you will find a job there! but is the most beautiful city in colombia, the beaches and the people… and the architecture! and the history! damn I love it!

In Brazil I know they do have pruduct design and a very big furniture design industry.

Well, thats all I can tell you, I hope you finde a good job and have fun in this beautiful continent full of great and friendly people… :smiley:

Cheers!

3

Thanks Mancho!
I was recently in Argentina and I heard from all the travelers how incredibly beautiful Colombia is… It’s definatly on my list of places to visit!

I saw in one of your previous posts that the average salary in Colombia is US$400 to US$700 a month. Would you know if other countries of South America have similar salaries or is it higher in Argentina or Brazil for example?

Also, if you can suggest design websites with information or job postings, that would be great!

Thanks again for your help :slight_smile:

4

I worked as a external consultant in Colombia & Argentina for a few months, I’d say your chances are mainly on furniture, packaging, POP & exhibition. There are not many design consultancies developing consumer products (maybe Brazil but I didn’t worked there) and perhaps the best time to look for a job would be between March to September.

I’d advise to polish your Spanish, in a professional environment you’ll find English is understood (to a certain extend) but in general you’ll definitely need very good communication skills in Spanish.

As per a website try “www.proyectod.com” is a design magazine from Colombia, there is an “Empleos” section and sometimes you’ll find ads from other countries.

Hope this helps. Enjoy your time there, I did!. Is a marvelous continent full of fantastic people and places, of course is has its downsides (like anywhere else in the world) but you’ll find that the more you travel the more you’ll fall in love with it.
Good luck!

5

Hi, I really dont know about the salaries in other countries, sorry I cant help you.

There are some websites where you can find jobs…
www.computrabajo.com.co
www.elempleo.com

and yes, www.proyectod.com is the web site of PROYECTO DISENO which is the design magazine in COlombia.

There is a great design comunity at www.rldiseno.com (Red Latinoamericana de Diseno) which is based on Colombia and they also post some job opportunities from time to time.

Good Luck!





6

Thanks guys… these sites are great! Just what I was looking for.

As Surfbitter said, I’ll need to work on my spanish, but the job offers also showed me what CAD program skills I need to work at.

Anyone else has suggestions? I’m also opened to suggestions on places to see and things to do while I’ll be in South America.

Thanks for the help!

7

Hi,
Well, I live in São Paulo (Brazil) and all I can say is the opportunities in design field are here in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, but doesn´t mean you will not find in other states also? The south part of Brazil is really hot for footwear design, textile design and furniture. São Paulo and Rio you can find these fields also, plus a lot of graphic design, industrial and web, plus the best advertising agencies also. There´s some cities in Northeast that are becoming good in graphics also.
About salaries, don´t expect to earn the same in dollars, because here it´s like what you post (around US$ 400 to 800/month), depending your experience and which field of interest. I started in fashion design ten years ago, in the middle of the way I switch my degree to ID and now I work with textile design. It´s a really wide field :slight_smile:
About the places to visit here, you will love Brazil, and there´s a lot of contrasts and colors. The beaches are beautiful, specially in Northeast of the country, and if you have opportunity to visit them, I bet you won´t regret :slight_smile:
I hope I could help you a little?
Bye!

8

i’m from Mexico but i know that industrial/ product Design in chile is growin’…

9

As surfbitter said, in Argentina you’ll find mainly furniture, packaging and POP.

There is also some product design, but difficult to get the job.

Here is a site where you can get some info about the design scene: www.cmd.gov.ar

And the jobs section: http://www.cmd.gov.ar/servicios/?info=bolsa_pedidos

One more: http://www.inti.gov.ar/prodiseno/index.html

If you register here: http://www.inti.gov.ar/prodiseno/datos/registro.php , you’l receive emails with job opportunities.

If you need any more info about Argentina please let me know.

Regards!

Nicolas