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Product & Industrial Designer

Creative

Design and develop 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.

Creative Arts & MediaMechanical Engineering

What you'd do all day

The tasks that matter most in this job, most important first.

  1. 1Prepare sketches of ideas, detailed drawings, illustrations, artwork, or blueprints, using drafting instruments, paints and brushes, or computer-aided design equipment.
  2. 2Modify and refine designs, using working models, to conform with customer specifications, production limitations, or changes in design trends.
  3. 3Evaluate feasibility of design ideas, based on factors such as appearance, safety, function, serviceability, budget, production costs/methods, and market characteristics.
  4. 4Confer with engineering, marketing, production, or sales departments, or with customers, to establish and evaluate design concepts for manufactured products.
  5. 5Present designs and reports to customers or design committees for approval and discuss need for modification.
  6. 6Develop industrial standards and regulatory guidelines.
  7. 7Research production specifications, costs, production materials, and manufacturing methods and provide cost estimates and itemized production requirements.
  8. 8Coordinate the look and function of product lines.
  9. 9Direct and coordinate the fabrication of models or samples and the drafting of working drawings and specification sheets from sketches.
  10. 10Develop manufacturing procedures and monitor the manufacture of their designs in a factory to improve operations and product quality.
  11. 11Investigate 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.
  12. 12Participate in new product planning or market research, including studying the potential need for new products.
  13. 13Supervise assistants' work throughout the design process.
  14. 14Design graphic material for use as ornamentation, illustration, or advertising on manufactured materials and packaging or containers.
  15. 15Read publications, attend showings, and study competing products and design styles and motifs to obtain perspective and generate design concepts.
  16. 16Fabricate models or samples in paper, wood, glass, fabric, plastic, metal, or other materials, using hand or power tools.
  17. 17Advise corporations on issues involving corporate image projects or problems.

Also known as

What this job is called on JobStreet, LinkedIn and in job ads. Search these too.

  • Designer
  • Engineer
  • Toy Maker
  • Body Stylist
  • Color Expert
  • Rug Designer
  • Toy Designer
  • Bike Designer
  • Boat Designer
  • Color Advisor

How far is this from you?

Roughly how much preparation this job usually takes. In Malaysia your UPU route and the programme's syarat still decide entry, so treat this as a guide, not a gate.

  1. 1

    Entry straight after SPM

  2. 2

    SPM + sijil / short TVET course

  3. 3

    Diploma / TVET (sijil–diploma)

  4. Typical entry

    Degree (ijazah sarjana muda)

  5. 5

    Postgrad (sarjana / PhD) or professional route

Typical educationBachelor's degree

Subjects that matter here

The SPM subjects worth your effort for this career, with the reason for each.

Visual Art (PSV)Draws directly on Design — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
Technical Comm. GraphicsDraws directly on Design — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
Engineering DrawingDraws directly on Design — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
PhysicsDraws directly on Engineering and Technology — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
Additional MathematicsDraws directly on Engineering and Technology — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).

What you'd need to know

The subject areas this job leans on most, and the SPM subjects that build them.

  • Design94%

    Visual Art (PSV)Technical Comm. GraphicsEngineering Drawing

  • Engineering and Technology94%

    PhysicsAdditional MathematicsDesign & Technology (RBT)

  • Production and Processing81%

    Design & Technology (RBT)Mechanical Engineering Studies

  • Mechanical81%

    Mechanical Engineering StudiesPhysicsDesign & Technology (RBT)

  • Computers and Electronics78%

    Computer Science / ICTElectrical & Electronic Eng. Studies

  • Mathematics74%

    Additional MathematicsMathematics

Tools you'd use

Software and equipment that show up in this job, worth learning early.

Where to learn these, free

Scholarships & funding

What the work feels like

Day-to-day working conditions, so you can tell whether the job suits how you like to work.

  • Face-to-face discussionsEvery day
  • Contact with other peopleConstant contact
  • Dealing with customers or the publicVery high
  • Leading or coordinating othersVery high
  • Handling conflict situationsRarely
  • Indoors, air-conditionedEvery day
  • Outdoors, in all weatherAlmost never
  • Noisy environmentOften

AI and demand for this job

A few real, dated data points — not a single score. AI making some tasks faster usually means a job changes, not that it disappears.

7%

Share of everyday tasks today's AI can already help with (2023)

This estimate is from 2023 — already out of date, since AI moves fast. Treat it as a rough, aging starting point, not the current picture.

0.17%

Of Malaysian Claude conversations, about this kind of work

Measures how much people use Claude for this work, not how many Malaysians do this job — and more AI use can mean people relying on it, not that it's replacing them.

Pay in Malaysia

We don't have a sourced Malaysian salary range for this job yet, and we'd rather show nothing than a number we can't stand behind.

Where to check:

  • JobStreet and Hiredly job ads for this title
  • DOSM Salaries & Wages Survey
  • SSPA scheme tables, if you're aiming for a government post
See pay for a related career: Graphic Designer

Check what you may qualify for

Enter your SPM grades and see which routes and programmes you may qualify for. An estimate to plan with, not an offer.

Check my eligibility Not sure yet? Take the quiz

How to get here

Post-SPM pathways with programmes in this career's fields. Tap one to see real programmes and entry requirements.

Matriculation

One or two years, heavily subsidised with allowance. Competitive, quota-based entry.

12–24 months

Related careers

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About this information

This describes what the job involves. Pay, demand and entry routes differ in Malaysia, so check the Pathways and Programmes pages for local requirements.

O*NET occupation: Commercial and Industrial Designers

Job responsibilities, knowledge areas and work context from O*NET 30.3, US Department of Labor, used under CC BY 4.0. onetcenter.org

Programmes that lead here

Programmes from the official UPU (KPT) and MQA catalogues whose field of study typically leads to this career. Matched by field, not a job guarantee.

Public universities (UPU)

Private institutions (MQA-accredited)

Search the programme catalogue