B.I.D in Industrial Design:

Do I need drawing skills to become an industrial designer?

Drawings are the tools we use when developing our designs and visually expressing these ideas to others. Just as our communication in a language improves as we practice reading, writing and speaking in that language, hand drawing, which we use for design communication, is a skill that can be developed. If you think you can express yourself well with hand drawing, of course this is an advantage. On the other hand, students are not expected to come to our department with such drawing skills already acquired. The compulsory "Design Communication" course, which is spread over four academic semesters in the curriculum, and the elective courses that support it, aim to bring our students to a level where they can use their drawing skills effectively in their design processes. Therefore, if you are willing and eager to improve your drawing skills, this will be enough. However, drawing is not the only tool the designer uses for communication. Our students learn to use two and three dimensional digital visualization-modeling tools in the "Computer in Design" course given in the first year and in the computer module in the first year summer internship. We would like to emphasize that, in industrial design, drawing is a very important tool in the development and expression of creative ideas, but this skill alone is not enough to produce a good design.

What are the job opportunities for graduates of the department? What can I design after I graduate from the department?

Companies from a wide range of sectors such as electrical household appliances, medical devices, consumer electronics, ceramic sanitary ware, kitchenware, tableware and accessories, personal accessories, packaging, home and office furniture, urban furniture, lighting and transportation benefit from the services provided by industrial designers as consultants or company employees. Non-governmental organizations and public institutions and organizations can also benefit from the expertise of industrial product designers. In addition to these sectors and forms of work, in the last few decades, industrial design graduates have been working in emerging fields of system design, experience design and service design. In this respect, in recent years, one of the most common ways of employment is to work as a user experience (UX) researcher and designer, and another is to establish start-ups, either individually or in interdisciplinary teams.

Does the department arrange the companies that are collaborated with in Graduation Projects or do the students contact them?

The Department arranges the companies that are collaborated with in Graduation Projects. For 20 years, we have worked with companies from many different sectors in the projects we have carried out with the industrial partners. By the time students reach their senior year, they more or less set their goals about in which sectors they want to work for their graduation projects and what kind of project they want to develop. As the Department, we contact companies to find out whether they can support their graduation projects in the current academic year. We share the list of companies that respond positively with our students. There are also times when our students suggest companies that we have not worked with before. In such a case, we contact the company and evaluate whether they can provide the expected contribution to our students during the project process, taking into account criteria such as product development infrastructure and staff, sectoral experience, production facilities.

Which computer programs are taught and used in the department?

The students of our department use digital tools/programs such as Adobe Illustrator (vector drawing), Adobe Photoshop (visual editing) for two-dimensional (2D) visualization, Autodesk Fusion, Rhinoceros for three-dimensional (3D) modeling, Keyshot for realistic 3D visualization/rendering, Figma for user interface design and interactive prototyping. Training on how to use these programs is provided in the "Computer in Design" course, in the computer module of the first-year summer internship as well as the elective course of Digital Modeling and Fabrication. In addition, in courses such as "Interactive Multi Media Design", "and Visual Narrative in Design".Examples of these programs include game engines such as Unity or tools for animation development such as Adobe After Effects. The software the students use are updated in line with changing needs and technological developments. The software mentioned here are examples of recently used tools.

In which year does computer education start in the department?

Our students learn to use two- and three-dimensional digital visualization-modeling tools in the "Computers in Design" course given in the first year and in the computer module in the first-year summer internship (See "Which computer programs are taught and used in the department?"). Our students use and develop these computer skills in the studio and other applied courses to visualize and present their design ideas in the most effective way.

What are the Erasmus opportunities? Which criteria are applied to select the elligible students?

Our undergraduate and graduate students show great interest in the Erasmus student exchange program. Within the scope of both the Erasmus program and the bilateral agreements we have made with the relevant departments, you can be an exchange student for one or two consecutive semesters. Our undergraduate students generally prefer to be exchange students in the first or second semester of their third year and the first semester of their fourth year. In addition, within the scope of the Erasmus internship program, we also have students who do internships in design offices abroad in the summer months at the end of their third or fourth year. You can access up-to-date information about all exchange programs in Turkey and abroad, the schools we have agreements with, application and evaluation processes on the relevant pages of METU International Cooperation Office: http://ico.metu.edu.tr/

Which resources can I consult if I want to get general information about the department?

We recommend you to visit https://id.metu.edu.tr/en/about

What skills/abilities should a student who wants to study Industrial Design have?

We will answer this question by explaining the knowledge and skills expected from a professional industrial designer. An industrial designer is expected to have knowledge about design processes and methods, identifying user needs, planning, conducting and analyzing research, materials, production methods, and marketing; the skills in hand and computer drawing (two-dimensional), physical and digital modeling (three-dimensional), making oral presentations, preparing visual presentations, and reporting (documenting the work progress). If you are eager to acquire these knowledge and skills, if your interests and abilities are in parallel with the professional knowledge and skills listed above, Industrial Design will be a suitable department for you. If you want to get information about whether drawing skills are required, you can take a look at our detailed answer to the question "Do I need drawing skills to become an industrial designer?"

How is your department different from industrial engineering?

We would like to explain our answer to this question with an example*. Let's say we have a coffee machine. Industrial designers design this coffee machine by considering the needs of the users and the conditions in which the coffee machine will be used by determining appropriate functions and forms. In this process, they make important decisions about the technologies that will be integrated into the coffee machine, how the product will be used (e.g. how the interface will interact with the user, how the handle of the coffee pot will fit the ergonomics of the hand, the steps to be followed by the user during coffee-making), the materials and manufacturing methods that will be used to produce the product, and the life cycle of the product (e.g. Can it be repaired if it breaks down, will it harm the environment if it is thrown away?). Industrial engineers, on the other hand, design a system that will make the operation a in a production facility where this coffee machine is produced or the service in a technology store where this coffee machine will be sold more efficient, error-free, effective, etc. In doing so, as stated on the METU Industrial Engineering website (https://tercih-ie.metu.edu.tr/tr/em-meslegi), "mathematics, operations research, statistics and information sciences, social and natural sciences, and engineering principles are used together". If you examine the contents of the courses given in both departments, the significant differences between the two departments will be even clearer for you.

*We would like to point out that this example only exemplifies one or two of the sectors in which industrial designers and industrial engineers work.

MSc in Industrial Design:

I graduated from a department other than Industrial Design. I want to improve myself in the field of industrial design by using the knowledge I gained from the department I studied. Can I apply to your Master's program?

Our Industrial Design Master's program is a research-oriented program open to graduates of Industrial Design departments as well as candidates from different disciplines and backgrounds such as engineering, business administration, sociology, architecture, interior architecture, and graphic design. Candidates who graduated from other departments are required to complete the "scientific preparation" program, which consists of undergraduate courses and includes basic knowledge and skills in the field. By conducting a research in the field of industrial design using the knowledge you have acquired in the undergraduate program, you can make a scientific contribution to the field, improve your research skills and deepen your knowledge.

It was my dream to study Industrial Design but I could not do it in my undergraduate education. Is it possible to realize this dream by studying in the master's program?

It is only possible to gain the knowledge and skills of a profession and to receive the title of that profession only through undergraduate education related to that profession. In other words, only undergraduate education and the title in the undergraduate diploma can provide a profession or a professional title. A master's degree constitutes the first step in specializing in a particular subject; however, it does not provide a profession or professional title to individuals according to this education. Therefore, the industrial design master's program does not aim to provide basic professional knowledge and skills in industrial design, on the other hand, it enables candidates from different disciplines to conduct an original research in the field of industrial design by using their own knowledge.

I graduated from a department other than Industrial Design. How does the Scientific Preparation program work? What are the courses I need to take?

In our department, students who are accepted to the Master's program from a different discipline are applied to the Scientific Preparation program for one semester. In the Scientific Preparation program, the student takes 2 undergraduate courses, 1 theoretical and 1 applied. These courses are ID 301/ID 302 and ID 121/ID 223. However, since both ID 223 and ID 121 courses are offered in the fall semester, students accepted to the program in the spring semester can take ID 321.

NOTE: Pursuant to the Regulation; in order for scientific preparation students to be considered successful in the graduate scientific preparation program and to start the graduate program, they must get at least a CC grade from the undergraduate courses of the scientific preparation program, at least CB grade from the graduate courses and complete the program with a GPA of 2.50.