Career in Industrial Design: Salary Trends, Jobs & Roles 2025
Published by Shikha Kumari on Jan 13, 2025
Industrial design is a lucrative field for anyone who wants to blend their creativity with functionality to shape the products we use daily. In India, for the past few years this profession has seen significant growth which offers promising career opportunities for aspiring designers.
An average routine of an industrial designer includes a mix of creativity, research and problem solving. They create products that are both functional and aesthetically appealing. They usually use design softwares like AutoCAD, SolidWorks or Adobe illustrator for 3D modeling and prototyping. Sketching, drafting and creating digital models remains the basic task of industrial designers. However with the seniority of the role this can lead up to client interaction and regular collaboration with different departments of a firm. Nonetheless industrial designers’ work is engaging, making the profession both challenging and rewarding.
Salary Trends for Industrial Design in India
The salary for a designer is influenced by various factors depending upon experience, location, and specialization. While one can have a lower salary in the beginning of the career it can increase as they have more experience. In similar ways a person working in the metropolitan cities such as Mumbai or Delhi will have a higher salary. Candidates can refer to the following table to get the general idea of salary trends in India:
| Experience Level | Role | Average Annual Salary (Rs) |
| Entry-Level (0-5 years) | Design interns, Product Design engineers, Junior Industrial Design | Rs 400,000 – Rs 500,000 |
| Mid-Level (5-8 years) | Lead Product Designer, Design Specialist | Rs 800,000 – Rs 10,00,000 |
| Senior-Level (8+ years) | Design Manager | Rs 10,00,000 – Rs 1,200,000 |
Popular Job Roles in Industrial Design
Industrial design in itself is a huge field and offers a variety of roles starting from the role of Junior Industrial Designer who is concerned about appropriate manufacturing considerations. Senior CAD Designers who offer expertise in specialized software can have the highest paying career in industrial design with xyz LPA. Likewise, candidates with expertise in software like Solidworks, AutoCAD and Adobe Creative Suit are offered higher salaries. Depending on the type of role the salary range can vary as can be followed by table:
| Job Role | Average Annual Salary (Rs) |
| Design Manager | Rs 8 LPA to Rs 15 LPA |
| Junior Industrial Designer | Rs 3 LPA to Rs 5 LPA |
| Lead Product Designer | Rs 7 LPA to Rs 12 LPA |
| Project Manager (Design) | Rs 8 LPA to Rs 15 LPA |
| Senior Industrial Designer | Rs 6 LPA to Rs 10 LPA |
| CAD Designer | Rs 3 LPA to Rs 5.5 LPA |
| Product Design Engineer | Rs 3.5 LPA to Rs 6 LPA |
| Design Strategist | Rs 8 LPA to Rs 16 LPA |
Industrial Design College Placements in India
Candidates can have better placements and have a higher starting salaries if they are graduating from a top tier institution, such as the National Institute of Design (NID) where the top recruiters include Tata, Godrej or Flipkart. Here’s a comparison of some leading design colleges in India:
| Degrees Offered in Industrial DesignCollege Name | 2023 Average Placement Package (Rs) | |
| National Institute of Design (NID) | Bachelor of Design (B.Des) in Industrial DesignMaster of Design (M.Des) in Industrial Design | Rs 4 LPA – Rs 30 LPA |
| Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) | M.Des in Industrial Design (Offered by IIT Delhi, Mumbai, Kanpur) | Rs 21.9 LPA (IIT Delhi) |
| IVS School of Design | Diploma in Product Design | Rs 5.1 LPA |
| MAD Design Academy | Diploma in Industrial DesignCertificate Course in Product Design | Rs 3.5 LPA |
| Universal School of Creative Arts | Certificate in Industrial Design | Rs 3.8 LPA |
| Dream Zone School of Creative Studies | Certificate Course in Design Thinking | Rs 4.3 LPA |
| Sir JJ College of Architecture | Bachelor of Architecture (B.Arch)Specialization in Industrial Design | Rs 5.1 LPA |
| Rubika | Bachelor of Design (B.Des)Master of Design (M.Des) in Industrial Design (Product / Transportation) | Rs 3.7 LPA |
If you are passionate about a blend of creativity and your own research, industrial designing offers a compelling avenue for you to explore.
Top Recruiters for Industrial Design Jobs
The graduates of industrial design courses are employed across various sectors such as electronic, consumer goods or the automotives. Here are some of the top recruiters offering lucrative career industrial design jobs:
| Electronics Recruiters | Voltas | Videocon | Bajaj |
| Samsung | LG Electronics | Sony | |
| Automotive Recruiters | Tata Motors | Mahindra and Mahindra | Hyundai |
| MG Motors | Kia | Honda | |
| Retail Goods Recruiters | Reliance Retail | Aditya Birla | ITC |
| Dabur | Hindustan Unilever | Godrej |
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