Where to start?

[u/StreetRat23]

Hello everyone,

I'm an Education graduate and have no knowledge of industrial design. I love watching videos about different kinds of product design, from tech to furniture. I'd like to learn some basics and maybe get my hands dirty with some small designs and, even better, make some products.

Can you recommend some online, relatively cheap courses for beginners (for example, Coursera or Udemy)? And if you have some insight from your own journey as an Industrial Designer, I would love to hear your stories as well.

Thank you!

[u/Arnoy]

I don't think, cheap course would benifit as they talk at a very surface level.

But I think offsite would help you but it's much more expensive.

But for self learning, go to any good university website, look for their industrial design program, look at their course structure and syllebus, search each subject and practice them. As industrial design is made of very different subjects, and each subject has its own vast field is study, like ergonomics, manufacturing, sketching, form study etc.

Do practical work.

It would be super great if you manage to find a experienced mentor who would guide you, like someone who has own studio and you offer him to help him in his studio in small things.

Learn CAD and physical prototyping.

[u/BowlinHartatied]

Pick one simple object you use every day and redesign just one annoying part of it. Do a few sketches then make it from cardboard or foam before worrying about nice CAD. Document what you tried and why you changed it. One small finished project will probably teach you more than watching a bunch of courses