Develop and design manufactured products, such as cars, home appliances, and children's toys. Combine artistic talent with research on product use, marketing, and materials to create the most functional and appealing product design.

Other names for Commercial and Industrial Designers: Art Glass Designer, Athletic Shoe Designer, Automobile Designer, Automotive Designer, Bank Note Designer, Bicycle Designer, Bike Designer, Boat Designer, Body Stylist, Car Body Designer, Ceramic Designer, Ceramic Mold Designer, Cloth Designer, Color Adviser, Color Consultant, Color Expert, Commercial Interior Designer, Creative Director, Design Engineer, Designer, Electrical Designer, Embroidery Designer, Fabric Designer, Furniture Designer, Game Designer, Graphic Designer, Industrial Designer, Jewelry Designer, Lighting Designer, Mechanical Engineer, Memorial Designer, Millinery Designer, Mold Designer, Motorcycle Designer, Ornamental Metalwork Designer, Package Designer, Packaging Designer, Pottery Decoration Designer, Product Design Engineer, Product Designer, Product Developer, Product Development Engineer, Product Engineer, Production Designer, Project Engineer, Robot Designer, Robotic Toy Inventor, Roller Coaster Designer, Rug Designer, Safety Clothing and Equipment Developer, Sign Designer, Silver Designer, Snowboard Designer, Stained Glass Artist, Stained Glass Window Designer, Surfboard Designer, Textile Designer, Tile Designer, Toy Designer, Toy Maker, Weapons Designer, Weapons Engineer,

• Read publications, attend showings, and study competing products and design styles and motifs to obtain perspective and generate design concepts.
• Research production specifications, costs, production materials and manufacturing methods, and provide cost estimates and itemized production requirements.
• Design graphic material for use as ornamentation, illustration, or advertising on manufactured materials and packaging or containers.
• Develop manufacturing procedures and monitor the manufacture of their designs in a factory to improve operations and product quality.
• Supervise assistants' work throughout the design process.
• Fabricate models or samples in paper, wood, glass, fabric, plastic, metal, or other materials, using hand or power tools.
• Investigate product characteristics such as the product's safety and handling qualities, its market appeal, how efficiently it can be produced, and ways of distributing, using and maintaining it.
• Develop industrial standards and regulatory guidelines.
• Participate in new product planning or market research, including studying the potential need for new products.
• Advise corporations on issues involving corporate image projects or problems.
• Prepare sketches of ideas, detailed drawings, illustrations, artwork, or blueprints, using drafting instruments, paints and brushes, or computer-aided design equipment.
• Direct and coordinate the fabrication of models or samples and the drafting of working drawings and specification sheets from sketches.
• Modify and refine designs, using working models, to conform with customer specifications, production limitations, or changes in design trends.
• Coordinate the look and function of product lines.
• Confer with engineering, marketing, production, or sales departments, or with customers, to establish and evaluate design concepts for manufactured products.
• Present designs and reports to customers or design committees for approval, and discuss need for modification.
• Evaluate feasibility of design ideas, based on factors such as appearance, safety, function, serviceability, budget, production costs/methods, and market characteristics.

• Digital cameras
• Desktop computers
• Notebook computers
• Liquid crystal display projector
• Personal computers
• High capacity removable media drives

Office suite software

Graphics or photo imaging software

Video creation and editing software

Word processing software

Presentation software

Spreadsheet software

Desktop publishing software

Document management software

Data base user interface and query software

Computer aided design CAD software

Internet browser software

Electronic mail software