Hello all
After completing my post graduate diploma in product designing i came across this lucrative offer. The offer is good but the only hitch is that i have work only on furniture. i don’t want to miss the opportunity.
My query is that will I be branded as furniture designer if I work on furniture design, and how difficult is it to return to the product design after working on furniture design project for quite some time.
please advice on this…
its always easier to get a job when you have a job.
after several years of proving you can accomplish business goals, work with marketing and engineering individuals, and have ongoing interests outside furniture, you should have no problem shifting career paths.
It is likely that you will develop a portfolio and list of credentials be most appealing ot other furniture manufacturers. If you stay in that area long enough you will almost certainly have to take a pay cut to move to a dramatically different product category, but this is not always true.
If the manufacturer is committed to innovative/excellent design your experience will have more broad based appeal.
is it the same case if i want to join a product design studio also.
i mean if i work in the furniture design field for say 2 yrs and return to work on projects related to produt design with some studio, will it be the same.
does it help if i work on self initiated product design project while working on furniture.
go for the job, relax
Furniture is an enormous (and increasingly complex) PRODUCT category, so you probably don’t want to work for anyone not recognizing this simple fact later on. I’ve done office furniture with enough mechanical design in it to give even mechanical engineers a run for their money. If that wasn’t “product” design I don’t know what is.
Where you need to be careful is to ensure you don’t end up strictly on the decorative side of things, like doing only vague form studies, or selecting fabrics, colors and the like. This would indeed label you a stereotypical “furniture designer” and work against you in some industries where the overall level of problem-solving (esthetic included) is measurably more intense. Ask clear questions of your present employer to make sure you will be in charge of some solid conceptualizing, materials research or perhaps special applications furniture that puts all your design skills to good use.
Either way, in today’s job market, you just don’t refuse an interesting design job. Others have easily bridged to “product” design from fields far more remote than furniture, that much is sure. Jump and make the best of it.
You would be hard pressed to find a truer statement than this in design.
Go for it it and keep doing more product driven work on the side as much as you can so your portfolio stays balanced.
It is perfectly acceptable for a designer to jump around a bit in the first year or so, so keep your eyes open for other opportunities and learn as much as you can. Professional experience of any kind makes you a much more attractive job candidate.
Thanks every one for valuable advice.
All my hesitation is because this is my first opportunity and as I have applied to other companies also I might get a job opportunity to work in other (white goods manufacturing) companies but not sure, and it might take some time.if i wait for long then i might lose this opportunity.
i have done graduation with computers as my major. Till now I didn’t felt that as a hindrance. But in India companies who hire designers this is a big issue. So is it better to work with the industry or to work with studios. Awaiting your opinions….