Published on <a href="https://blog.prototypr.io/how-to-become-an-industrial-designer-when-youre-actually-a-mechanical-engineer-b9004bced66f?source=rss----eb297ea1161a---4">| Prototyping: From UX to Front End &mdash; Medium</a> Syed Hemu Rahman 
<h3>I want to become an inventor when I grow up!</h3>
I made this conclusion as early as I can remember. From age 5, my sketchbooks were filled with every wacky gadget, from multifunctional antenna laden brick phones to super top secret spy vehicles (so embarrassing). Many years later I found myself stuck and wondering: How on earth do I turn this into a career? Is “inventor” even a job title?
If you are reading this article there’s a good chance you decided to get a background in Mechanical Engineering. There’s also a good chance you made it through that degree only to realize, it wasn’t what you signed up for. You learned a ton of theory and are now a super talented cog in some big engineering firm. But what you really wanted was to create products, the look, the feel, the functionality, and the experience.
Did you make the biggest mistake of your life by not pursuing Industrial Design?
<img alt="" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1024/1*qzfBpCEAxBShgAkOAtQaSg.jpeg">Ahh these childhood sketchbooks are so amusing.
<h3>But I didn’t go to design school. What do I do?</h3>
Have no fear! Getting a foundation in Mechanical Engineering is one of the best decisions you could have made. If you take a peek at some of the most amazing industrial designers (like David Kelley), you’ll realize you’re right on track.
Incredible products are the result of a beautiful harmony between design and engineering.
Many of us have heard the expression “form follows function” and it’s true. Far too often, designers lack the fundamental knowledge behind what can and can’t be made. Concepts and designs that can’t be manufactured, or are designed without mechanical constraints, can be a waste of time and resources. With a concrete background in mechanical design and a working skillset in industrial design, you’ll be equipped to build incredible things.
Now it’s time to start adding some product design fundamentals to your toolbox. The following is an outline of some resources that helped me build my foundation.
<img alt="" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1024/1*_DruO6pCPtj6a7GH4QSUnA.jpeg">Handpicked favorites to jumpstart your design skillset!
<h3>Building Your Toolbox (and library)</h3>
You don’t need to sit in a classroom to learn all the fundamentals. Give up your weekends and evenings. Read, read, read. Absorb. Practice. It’d be impossible to even scrape the surface of each subject in just one article, so the following is a handpicked list of my favorite books. The following books cover nearly all the skills you’ll need, ranging from basic design principles to sketching, prototyping techniques and even manufacturing processes.
<h3>Design Principles</h3>
<a href="http://amzn.to/2FWxgC2">The Design of Everyday Thing</a>s — Don Norman’s famous overview of human centered design.
<a href="http://amzn.to/2u6h53J">Steal Like an Artist</a> — One of my all time favorites. Read this. Over and over. Austin’s words of wisdom will help you grow and excel as a designer.
<a href="http://amzn.to/2FNnO89">Universal Principles of Design</a> — An excellent outline (and book I reference regularly) on 100 or so design principles.
<a href="http://amzn.to/2pt9TJj">Less and More: The Design Ethos of Dieter Rams</a>&#8211; A collection and reflection on all things Dieter Rams. You’ve gotta learn from the best.
<a href="http://amzn.to/2psxRoc">Picture This</a>&#8211; I was amazed by how powerfully this simple book conveyed concepts. Through graphic design psychology, you’ll learn valuable lessons about human perception and our subconscious interpretation of visuals. It gets you thinking about basic human instincts and the effects on how we perceive the world (and products) around us.
<a href="http://amzn.to/2DIwMxv">Living with Complexity</a> — Don Norman’s follow up. More theory on complexity in design, and reflections on bad design.
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0133890333/ref=as_li_qf_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=shapingelemen-20&amp;creative=9325&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;creativeASIN=0133890333&amp;linkId=0be9e3a468577f002a14d422158ce294">The Best Interface is No Interface</a> — The title says it all. This is one of my favorite recent reads which gets you thinking more critically about your design solutions (and interfaces).
<h3>Design Research</h3>
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0991406311/ref=as_li_qf_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=shapingelemen-20&amp;creative=9325&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;creativeASIN=0991406311&amp;linkId=968b010e6c4b8c6009610e34b5d3d7bf">The Field Guide to Human Centered Design </a>— IDEO does a great job outlining the whole process (with plenty of case studies). The book also has plenty of work-along sections.
<a href="http://amzn.to/2HN9IQH">Universal Methods of Design</a>&#8211; Compilation of 100 design research techniques.
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/099080092X/ref=as_li_qf_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=shapingelemen-20&amp;creative=9325&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;creativeASIN=099080092X&amp;linkId=0b4a24129d768fc43d7df9420795d7cd">Talking to Humans</a>&#8211; This is the first design research book I read. It covers the process, but from the perspective of someone creating a business.
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1939727065/ref=as_li_qf_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=shapingelemen-20&amp;creative=9325&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;creativeASIN=1939727065&amp;linkId=699c1db1be34a7ed0065682b63066a40">The Field Study Handbook</a> — To be honest, I haven’t thoroughly read this one yet (it’s a textbook), but so far the skimming has been great. It’s a goldmine of information, but very, very dense.
<h3>Sketching</h3>
Sketching is one of the most powerful tools in your arsenal. If you can materialize your thoughts on paper, and communicate visually, you can move mountains (or teams to build incredible things).
“Start copying what you love. Copy copy copy copy. At the end of the copy you will find your self.” — Yohji Yamamoto
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/9063691718/ref=as_li_qf_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=shapingelemen-20&amp;creative=9325&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;creativeASIN=9063691718&amp;linkId=2cf1f173b36fda20b6eab2fb7644f855">Sketching: Drawing Techniques For Product Designers</a> &#8211; My very first book on sketching techniques! I literally learned to sketch by trying my hardest to copy exact images out of this book. It goes over all the fundamentals.
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/906369329X/ref=as_li_qf_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=shapingelemen-20&amp;creative=9325&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;creativeASIN=906369329X&amp;linkId=78a4eb1e02a9b321786c1d84d9905033">Sketching: Product Design Presentation</a>&#8211; If sketching is a tool for conveying your ideas, then presentation is at the core. This book covers fundamentals, tips and tricks for presentation.
<a href="http://www.instagram.com/shapingelements/">Instagram</a>
Find your favorite designers on Instagram and follow them. Build up libraries of inspiration. Copy their styles. Pay attention to details. Eventually you’ll be someone else’s inspiration 🙂 <a href="http://www.instagram.com/shapingelements/">Here’s my page for reference!</a>
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRzE0k1gugayp96TJSEseAw">Youtube</a>
Watch others sketch. It’s a physical skill so you’ll only gather so much from books and pictures. There are plenty of great resources on YouTube, which I myself am trying harder to contribute to! I also learned plenty from <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBtSgEZk914z5InEs_U2J3w">Spencer Nugent</a>.
<h3>Rapid Prototyping</h3>
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1856698769/ref=as_li_qf_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=shapingelemen-20&amp;creative=9325&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;creativeASIN=1856698769&amp;linkId=bfa6a6a244adf9675114382c48d90585">Prototyping and Model Making for Product Design</a>&#8211; The next step is to bring your sketches to life. This book outlines plenty of standard techniques and tools you’ll need to do just that.
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0500513759/ref=as_li_qf_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=shapingelemen-20&amp;creative=9325&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;creativeASIN=0500513759&amp;linkId=c86caf5739ca3c74268479e5c322261a">Manufacturing for Product Design Professionals</a>&#8211; This book is the Bible for mechanical engineers/product designers. It covers all the traditional forms of manufacturing with beautiful graphics and guidelines. Keep it on your desk. Always have it in the back of your mind as you conceptualize all your crazy ideas. It’ll keep you in check with reality.
<h3>CAD</h3>
Solidworks
Whatever you do, don’t jump straight into CAD (I can write another post just on this subject). If you’re a mechanical engineer, there’s a good chance you’ve got this covered. The industry standard is Solidworks, which can be quite pricey, so if you’re just getting started, download Sketch Up to familiarize yourself with 3D modeling.
Keyshot
Keyshot is also an industry standard and my tool of choice when it comes to rendering fancy “finished” images of your product. It’s excellent for presentation graphics, but also for quickly testing different realistic materials/finishes without having to prototype them physically. It’s also quite pricey so if you’re just getting started and want access to all these tools, give Blender 3D a shot. It was my first modeling software and it’s mighty powerful (but quite intimidating to use).
<h3>Supplemental Reading</h3>
<a href="http://amzn.to/2FSqaT5">What Technology Wants</a>&#8211; Kevin Kelly takes a philosophical dive into the roots of technology and its development over time. This is one of the most fascinating subjects that will get you thinking more critically about all your work.
Tear Down: Fictiv- If you’re designing consumer electronics, this little book is filled with beautiful product tear downs. More importantly, follow their <a href="http://www.fictiv.com/blog/">blog</a> for all sorts of insights in consumer hardware design.
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0544811925/ref=as_li_qf_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=shapingelemen-20&amp;creative=9325&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;creativeASIN=0544811925&amp;linkId=5562d13d07ef415f2cb1601fbea92655">Inventology</a>&#8211; This is another one of my all time favorite books. Pagan Kennedy studies the roots of innovation by analyzing some of the greatest inventors of our time.
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0321985206/ref=as_li_qf_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=shapingelemen-20&amp;creative=9325&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;creativeASIN=0321985206&amp;linkId=0e6a104d8dc6a585244ac74617b15657">Logo Design Love</a>&#8211; This isn’t a book about industrial design, but it’s a book that covers plenty of universal design fundamentals. It even touches on subjects like presentation techniques to clients, and the iterative process.
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1118099206/ref=as_li_qf_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=shapingelemen-20&amp;creative=9325&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;creativeASIN=1118099206&amp;linkId=90b6b6f7c6cc5a0c19431eeefdd2d6d0">Designing Brand Identity</a>&#8211; Your designs should align with and reflect a core identity. It’s quite useful to have an understanding of how powerful brand identities are formed because the product is just one piece of the puzzle.
<h3>I’ll top things off with this video.</h3>
It goes out of sync part way through but it should still be helpful.
<iframe src="https://cdn.embedly.com/widgets/media.html?src=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fembed%2Fr-UqGtsjKiU%3Fstart%3D2%26feature%3Doembed%26start%3D2&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3Dr-UqGtsjKiU&#038;image=https%3A%2F%2Fi.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2Fr-UqGtsjKiU%2Fhqdefault.jpg&amp;key=a19fcc184b9711e1b4764040d3dc5c07&amp;type=text%2Fhtml&amp;schema=youtube" width="854" height="480" frameborder="0"><a href="https://medium.com/media/0301aaa3e663dffcd719f924ae1d334d/href">https://medium.com/media/0301aaa3e663dffcd719f924ae1d334d/href</a></iframe>
<h3>Make Something Great</h3>
I’m a strong believer in learning by doing. You can read, sketch, and take as many notes as you want. At some point you’ll need to muster up the confidence to start applying that knowledge. You’ll learn faster, fail harder, and refine your process better than anything else by doing. Start dedicating time to building things you’re passionate about.
In 2012 I was aching to apply my knowledge. I was lucky to meet Mike and David who also thought it was a perfect time to design a cheap, consumer 3D printer. What started out as an opportunity to hone my design and engineering skills blossomed into a company that raised <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/m3d/the-micro-the-first-truly-consumer-3d-printer">$3.4mil on Kickstarter and a team of nearly 70 employees.</a>
Talk about imposter syndrome. At M3D I was leading all things design and guiding the mechanical team (and making plenty of mistakes along the way!) It was nothing less than a goldmine of a learning experience.
Now, I’m not saying to drop everything and start a company. The key is to start learning by doing. Dedicate your weekends to redesigning a product you think could use some work. Create a solution to a problem that’s been bugging you. Go through the entire design process, starting with research and working through ideation sketching and even prototyping. Document everything.
<h3>The Portfolio</h3>
For those of you trying to score your first job as an industrial designer, this is your ticket in. You might not have real work to show off yet but that’s not a problem. If you follow the previous section, you should have documented some high quality side projects. These projects are reflective of your true passions, motivation, drive and talent, and can speak wonders for who you are. Also, no employer cares about those senior projects you’re so proud of. Make sure to remove them so the work that matters has room to breathe. It’s better to have fewer examples of your highest quality work, than an impressively overpopulated page with everything you’ve ever worked on.
<h3>What’s Next?</h3>
I’m writing a book! A “playbook” if you will, outlining the whole product design process. It started out as a collection of my thoughts I could reference and reflect back on for future projects. Soon after I realized it could be a useful reference for not just other product designers, but anyone who’s ever wanted to build a product. If you’re interested, you can help me shape the book by dropping any questions or subjects you’d like to see covered.
<h4>If there’s anything I missed, I’d love to hear from you.</h4>
<h3>Email me at shapingelements@gmail.com</h3>
<h3>Find me on</h3>
<a href="http://www.instagram.com/shapingelements/">Instagram</a> , <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRzE0k1gugayp96TJSEseAw">YouTube</a> , <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/syed-hemu-rahman-a115a294/">LinkedIn</a> , and visit me at <a href="http://www.shapingelements.com">www.shapingelements.com</a>
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<a href="https://blog.prototypr.io/how-to-become-an-industrial-designer-when-youre-actually-a-mechanical-engineer-b9004bced66f">How to Become an Industrial Designer (When you’re actually a Mechanical Engineer)</a> was originally published in <a href="https://blog.prototypr.io">Prototypr</a> on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

How to Become an Industrial Designer (When you’re actually a Mechanical Engineer)

I want to become an inventor when I grow up!

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