Career Profile: Design
 Consumers are constantly surrounded by appealing products that invite them to purchase the item. From cereal boxes, cars, to apparel, designers work with companies to develop attractive designs that invoke the consumer’s interest and an ultimate sale. The design industry is dynamic, competitive, challenging, and surrounded with many different career options for designers to pursue. Many products begin as an idea and it is then the designer’s responsibility to create what the end-product will look like it. Aside from developing an aesthetically pleasing product, designers must also keep functionality in mind at all times. Otherwise, companies may end up with a pretty looking object that provides no use or purpose to the consumer.
Most designers who get into the industry are creative and artistically inclined coupled with an ability to preserve the products objective. In particularly, designers need to have a keen sense of what the product is being used for and who will use it, so that they can tailor their design to interest a particular consumer market. To keep ahead of their competitors many companies will hire deign consultants or entire design firms to assist them in logo creation to designing packaging for a particular a new product line.
Designers have many options when it comes to choosing which professional direction they wish to pursue. Some fields may require more formal education than others, but the emphasis remains the same; to create and design regardless of product. Career paths can include graphic designers who primarily work on creating logos and images, whereas industrial designers focus their efforts on mass-produced goods.
Everything from yogurt cups to MP3 players are designed by industrial designers, though some may be more specialized in a particular area like vehicles. Interior design is a popular option for many designers, but often requires certification by the National Council for Interior Design and a strong foundation in state and federal building and safety codes. Similarly, fashion design is among one of the most popular careers for designers to follow; albeit the most competitive of all. Aspiring fashion designers often go to school to perfect their craft either at traditional college institutions who offer fashion or design programs or pursue their design education at the popular Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising (FIDM).
The job outlook for the design industry is not expected to grow dramatically over the next several years. Nevertheless, great career opportunities exist for creative designers, but like any other profession, companies will only be interested in hiring the best from the available talent pool.
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