How do you develop your industrial design skills?

If you want to become an Industrial Designer, go to school to be an Industrial Designer. This is an accredited design field just like an Architect. You cannot just fudge your way into being an Industrial Designer, we learn/know/understand a science based design methodology that is applicable to any creative endeavor. Often I find myself doing the jobs of an Engineer or an Architect; however I would never call myself one out of respect for their fields.

Contorary to common belief design is more about questions than answers. The most important being "What is this?". A very basic exercise for improving the thought process for design mind set is to: At any given time, look around. Pick a very common object. Try to define it, in abstract terms, such that the definition only includes that object (and its alternatives) and excludes everthing else. Then through this definition, try creating objects that fit the definition mentally. In the beginning it is not easy but practice makes perfect.

Milwaukee has three engineering schools, and still they need more engineers. Milwaukee has one ID school, and far more industrial designers than ID jobs. The entire field needs to be restructured from schools to employers to professional associations. Far too much design talent is just spit into the void after design school. Talent and merit are no where near enough. Like it or not, it takes a lot of luck.

One of the key aspects that make an industrial designer to be a valuable role within a manufacturing company is to truly understand manufacturing processes, how things are made, what is the best way to optimise the production and how to design products to ensure it keeps the functionality, it fulfils requirements, and it is possible to create it with existing manufacturing processes.

And try to go to a design school. A couple of mediocre ID classes in a mediocre college does not an industrial designer make.

you can go to school and try to learn it but its like thinking in 3D, either you can or you can't. so if you didnt already have a knack and interest for it before, I personally doubt you will be able to learn it. Especially industrial design is not at all artistic but its all about materials and their manufacturing technologies, possibilites and limitations. Industrial design is all about extremely broad knowledge across almost every domain.

You will never become better in a vacuum, especially not in this dynamic, complex, very collaborative field. Mentorship was vital to all of my successes in my career. In addition, once you reach a new plateau of success, such as a senior year in university or as a professional who can help younger designers, remember to look back and help others every step of the way. Arnold Schwarzenegger once aptly said “... don't ever call me a self-made man. Once you realize that you are the product of a lot of help, you will acknowledge that you must help others.”

From experience, education from school or university on its own is never enough. One of my core values is "Practice leads to experience, experience leads to excellence" Only by practicing and working on the role, you get to know all the potential issues and mistakes that designers do when creating masterpieces. My intention is to offer this kind of knowledge in the future, I think this can speed up the career of individual designers by 2-3 years

Learning through doing is the only way to develop and increase your skills. Its not only about doing more projects, its about doing more in projects. Design, build, test frequently. You will increase your technical development skills, your knowledge of tools and techniques and create a 'gut' feel for what will work. This gut feel comes from years of trying, failing and rebuilding ideas. The more you do the quicker the answers will come. Don't be afraid to try new things, techniques and digital solutions but these are not the answer only the tools.

This doesn't only apply to industrial design, but to every role. Only by practicing you become better in your field. The more you work and the more you develop your skills, the more you learn new knowledge, and that is a cycle that everyone should keep pushing to obtain excellence in their careers.

The industrial design field is one of constantly emerging technology in materials, computers, programs, and processes. You must commit to staying up to date with these. Learning dozens of computer programs and practicing limitless new methods is not only not out of the question, but to be expected. A course often helps you learn a new skill or tool in the most efficient and constructive way, as it would have been designed by an education expert, after all.

To improve your industrial design skills, active involvement in communities and user groups is highly beneficial. These platforms enable connections with industry experts and passionate designers, providing a wealth of inspiration and valuable insights. Staying updated on current design trends, especially in CAD, is crucial for skill development, and these types of communities can be valuable sources of such knowledge.

Create or join a community of creatives and experts. Bringing together varied perspectives enables new approaches to design thinking and product development.

Pick what you want to do. That doesn't mean that you can't, and most likely will, change course over your carrier. But do your homework. Find a few firms or companies who's work you admire. Tailor your portfolio and resume to be impressive to them. Being in a creative, dynamic environment will only help you to progress.