Industrial design is an art and science that seeks to create products and services that are both aesthetically pleasing and functional. It is the combination of creativity, engineering, and consumer-focused design principles that make industrial design a challenging yet rewarding career field.
When pursuing a degree in industrial design, choosing the right minor can help you develop a deeper understanding of the field and set you up for success.
One potential minor to consider when studying industrial design is product development. This minor focuses on developing products through research, innovation, prototyping, manufacturing processes, and more.
Through this minor, students gain skills in product analysis, product evaluation methods, marketing analysis, and more. Product development courses can also include topics such as human factors engineering, ergonomics, manufacturing process optimization, sustainability in product design and production processes.
Another great minor for those studying industrial design is computer-aided design (CAD). CAD software allows designers to visualize their designs in 3D before they are manufactured.
CAD software is used to create detailed drawings for manufacturing processes like 3D printing or CNC machining. Through a CAD minor program students learn how to use different types of software such as Solidworks or AutoCAD to create accurate drawings for manufacturing processes.
Materials Science can also be an excellent choice for those studying industrial design. Materials science involves understanding the properties of materials at their most basic level – their chemical composition – as well as how they interact with one another. This knowledge is essential to creating functional products because it allows designers to choose the right materials for specific purposes based on their physical properties like strength or flexibility.
Business Administration can also be beneficial for those pursuing an industrial design career path. Business administration courses teach students how to develop business plans, manage financials and budgets effectively, understand consumer markets and trends, recognize legal issues related to business operations such as intellectual property rights or patents.
In summary, there are many minors that can supplement an industrial design degree program including product development, computer-aided design (CAD), materials science and business administration. Each of these minors provides valuable skills that can open doors into various aspects of the industrial design industry from consumer research to product development or even entrepreneurship.
What Is a Good Minor for Industrial Design?
When considering what minor will best supplement an industrial design degree program it depends on the individual’s interests and career goals within the industry but some popular minors include product development computer-aided design (CAD), materials science and business administration which will provide valuable skills necessary for success in all facets of the industry.