Designer

Introduction

Designers are responsible for making sure that the things we need in our everyday lives are useful and look good. Designers can work in areas such as textiles, fashion, graphic design, product design or interior design.

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Work Activities

Look around at the things we all take for granted. Televisions, furniture, clothes, food wrappers, magazines - these things have all been designed by someone. Designers are responsible for making sure that the things we use every day are not only useful but also look good.

There are a number of different design areas. These can be grouped in the following way:

• fashion and textile design (clothing, jewellery, shoes, carpets)
• graphic design (using illustration, print and photography to convey a message)
• product design (furniture, domestic appliances, cars, ceramics)
• interior design (homes, offices, exhibitions).

In each of these areas designers might work in industry, designing things for mass production, or on small scale projects in workshops, either on their own or with just a few other people (sometimes called designer-craftwork).

Designers working in all areas go through similar stages in their work. It is important that designers have an understanding of who they are designing for - what does the customer want? How will they use it? The first stage therefore is to do some research. They also think about other factors such as what other products are on the market, what would be the best materials to use, how much it will cost to make and how easy it will be to produce.

When they have all the information they need, the designers can go ahead and produce a series of drawings and initial sketches, often using computer-aided design (CAD), to show to the client. If these are accepted, they come up with a finished design and sometimes a working model or prototype. If the designer is working in industry these will be passed onto production staff who use them to make the finished product. Designers working on small scale projects often have to make the finished item themselves.

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Personal Qualities and Skills

As a designer, you will need to be artistic and have original ideas. Drawing skills are vital. You will also need an appreciation of colour, shape and form. In many areas of design it is important to have some technical knowledge, for example the properties of the different materials you might use.

Good communication skills are always helpful - designers need to work with clients and other professionals. Self-employed designers will need business skills so that they can do costing and pricing, sales and marketing and book-keeping.

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Pay and Opportunities

Pay rates for designers vary with the industry and responsibilities.

The pay rates given below are approximate.

Designers earn in the range of £18,000 - £21,000 a year, rising to £28,000 - £35,000. Higher earners can make around £42,000 a year.

Designers work a basic 39-hour week, Monday to Friday. However, late finishes and weekend work may be required from time to time, especially to meet deadlines. Working hours for self-employed designers may be irregular, depending on how much work they have.

Employers throughout the UK include:
• manufacturers involved in large-scale production
• firms involved in engineering and construction
• design consultancies.

Consultancy and fixed-term contract work may be available for experienced designers. You can obtain this work through specialist recruitment agencies.

Some self-employed designers work from home, or from studios or workshops, which they might share with other designers.

Entry to most areas of design is very competitive.

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Adult Opportunities

It is now illegal for any organisation to set age limits for entry to employment, education or training, unless they can show there is a real need to have these limits.

Skills and abilities gained as an assistant in a design studio or workshop, or in a design consultancy are valued.

Experience in related fields such as advertising or marketing is also useful. Commercial awareness and an understanding of the industry you wish to work in is an advantage.

If you don't have the qualifications needed to enter your chosen degree or HND course, a college or university Access course (eg, Access to Art and Design) could be the way in. No formal qualifications are usually required, but you should check individual course details.

They can lead to relevant degree/HND courses.

Many colleges relax the normal academic requirements for applicants with experience in arts, crafts or design.

To enter this work or relevant courses, you need to have a portfolio of work demonstrating your creative ability.

• 47% of people in occupations such as designer are self-employed.
• 14% work part-time.
• 5% have flexible hours.
• 1% work on a temporary basis.

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New Developments

This occupation may involve homeworking.  Find out more about Working from home.