Industrial designer
Design physical products, from consumer electronics and furniture to medical devices.
Salary
Cited figures from Job Outlook and QILT. ExamExplained does not publish predictive earnings or projections.
| Figure | AUD | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Full-time weekly earnings | $1700 | Job Outlook (2025-06-01) |
What a industrial designer actually does
Most industrial designers split the day between CAD work (SolidWorks, Rhino, Fusion 360), prototyping in a workshop, and meetings with engineers and product managers about cost, manufacturability and performance. Early in a project you work in sketches and rough block models; mid-project you go into detailed CAD and tolerance work; late project you sit with the engineering team on tooling, materials and factory liaison. Workshops are part of the job and most designers spend at least one day a week on a 3D printer, laser cutter or hand workshop building test parts. Australian industrial design work covers consumer products, packaging, furniture, medical devices, agricultural equipment and defence. The local market is small; many roles include working with overseas factories, so emails and early-morning or late-night calls with Asian time zones come with the territory. Hours sit at 38-45 in normal periods and climb close to deadline.
Typical tasks
- Sketch and CAD-model concepts.
- Build and test prototypes.
- Liaise with manufacturers on tooling.
Skills you'll use
- SolidWorks, Rhino, Fusion 360 or another parametric CAD tool
- Sketching (hand and digital) for concept exploration
- 3D printing, CNC and hand prototyping
- Materials and manufacturing process knowledge (injection moulding, sheet metal, casting)
- Design for manufacture (DFM) and design for assembly (DFA)
- Engineering drawings and tolerancing
- Working with mechanical and electrical engineers
- User research and product testing
How to become one
- 1Finish Year 12 with Maths Methods or Advanced and a Design and Technology subject if available
- 2Complete a 3-year accredited Bachelor of Industrial Design or Bachelor of Design (Industrial Design) at RMIT, Swinburne, UNSW or Monash
- 3Build a portfolio of 4-6 finished projects with CAD, prototypes and process documentation
- 4Take an internship at a consultancy or in-house team during your final year
- 5Land a junior designer role at a design consultancy, an in-house product team or a manufacturer
- 6Move toward a specialism after 3-5 years (consumer electronics, medical, furniture, packaging) because most senior roles are specialised
Where you can work
- Independent industrial design consultancies (concentrated in Melbourne and Sydney)
- In-house design teams at Australian manufacturers
- Medical device companies (Cochlear, ResMed, Saluda)
- Defence and aerospace product teams
- Furniture and lighting manufacturers
- Consumer electronics and appliance brands
- Packaging design specialists
- Self-employed working on commissioned product design
Career progression
Typical stages and salary bands. Salary figures are sourced from Job Outlook, QILT or industry bodies; brackets are 25th-75th percentile not absolute floors or ceilings.
- Junior industrial designer0-2 yearsTypical roles: Junior industrial designer, Product designer, Design engineer (junior)Salary band: $60,000 - $72,000 per year (source, sourced 2026-05-21)
- Industrial designer3-7 yearsTypical roles: Industrial designer, Senior product designer, Mechanical product designerSalary band: $80,000 - $110,000 per year (source, sourced 2026-05-21)
- Senior or lead designer8+ yearsTypical roles: Senior industrial designer, Design lead, Head of product design
Is this for you?
You might love this if
- You love taking a sketch through to a finished object
- You enjoy the back-and-forth with engineers about cost and feasibility
- You're patient with iterative prototyping and the failures along the way
- You're comfortable in both a creative studio and a workshop or factory floor
- You can read engineering drawings and tolerance specs
This might not suit you if
- You're only interested in screen-based or 2D design
- You hate the constraints that manufacturing puts on a "nice idea"
- You can't stand the small Australian market and the slow pace of physical products
- You want a purely creative role without engineering and cost trade-offs
- You expect quick career progression (most projects run 18-36 months)
Three ways in
Uni, TAFE and trade routes for industrial designer. Not every career has all three; we only list pathways that actually lead to this occupation.
University
Bachelor degrees that lead to this career.
TAFE / VET
Nationally accredited Certificate and Diploma qualifications.
No direct TAFE pathway to this career.
Apprenticeship trade
Earn while you learn through an Australian Apprenticeship.
Not an apprenticeship trade.
Sources
- https://www.jobsandskills.gov.au/explore-careers/occupation/fashion-industrial-and-jewellery-designers
- https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/classifications/anzsco-australian-and-new-zealand-standard-classification-occupations
ExamExplained does not publish predictive salary figures. For current Australian earnings data check Job Outlook directly. Career classifications follow the ABS ANZSCO 2022 release.