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Industrial designer

Designs usable physical objects, from tableware to equipment, and tests ideas through models and prototypes.

What a day looks like

Imagine a designer asked to improve a desk lamp. This is an illustrative project day, not a description of a particular company. In the morning, the designer studies the brief: who uses the lamp, where it stands, what feels awkward and what manufacturing constraints apply. An attractive shape is not enough if the switch is hard to find, the base fills the desk or the parts cannot be made with the chosen process.

The designer then observes similar products in use and sketches several options. One is easier to control; another makes directing the light more convenient. Ideas are discussed with an engineer, considering materials, assembly and production costs. Some decisions change after that conversation. The designer builds a digital model and a simple mock-up to check sizes and component positions. Cardboard can reveal a mistake before an expensive sample is made.

Later, several people try a safe prototype and explain what makes sense and what gets in their way. The designer records observations, compares them with the brief and develops another version. At the end of the day, they prepare images, dimensions and explanations for the team. Not every sketch reaches production, and an attractive rendering is not a finished product. The work combines drawing, technical thinking and communication; revision after criticism is normal. A school-level trial can be a paper-and-cardboard desk organiser. Lamp wiring, machinery and unsupervised tools are unnecessary for this exercise.

Try it yourself this week

  • 30 minutes

    Draw a sketch of a shelf bracket with measurements

    1. Find a shelf or stand at home and look at what holds it up. Don't unscrew anything.
    2. On squared paper, draw a side view and a top view of a bracket that could hold a shelf like this.
    3. Mark the measurements with arrows. To get them, measure the real shelf with a tape measure.
    4. Think it over and write down: which part takes the most load, and how would you make it stronger?

    What you'll learn about yourself: Whether you find it interesting to be precise and to think about strength in advance.

  • 30 minutes

    Look closely at a mechanism and draw how it works

    1. Choose a simple thing at home: a door lock, a bike or a desk lamp. You don't need to take anything apart, just look.
    2. Draw the whole thing and label the main parts.
    3. Use arrows to show what passes movement to what: for example, where you press and what moves.
    4. Write down three questions you don't know the answer to, and find the answer to one of them.

    What you'll learn about yourself: Whether you're drawn to finding out how things work inside, and whether you have the patience to get to the cause.

What you can do next

  1. Next 3 months

    • Study a familiar object

      Complete t13 with a simple, safe mechanism. Do not dismantle it: draw the links between parts and note a user difficulty.

    • Sketch three solutions

      Choose a desk organiser. Make three distinct sketches with approximate dimensions and explain the problem each solves.

  2. In six months

    • Build a cardboard prototype

      Choose one option and make a paper-and-cardboard model. Use sharp tools only with adult help; do not connect electronics.

    • Test the model with a user

      Ask someone you know to arrange stationery in the mock-up. Record actions and difficulties without prompting, then improve one detail.

  3. In a year

    • Compare design and engineering routes

      Explore industrial design at KazGASA and the Satbayev University programme. Compare work on form, materials and calculations; ask the universities about admission.

    • Present the complete project

      Combine the brief, three sketches, mock-up photos and test findings in a small portfolio. Explain why the final version changed and what you would test next.

What it pays

No verified information is available in this section yet.

Where to study

Universities

You apply after grade 11, based on your UNT results.

How to get into college

College gets you a profession faster than university. You can apply after grade 9 or after grade 11.

  • Colleges accept students both after grade 9 and after grade 11. After grade 9 you study longer — about 3 years 10 months; after grade 11, about 2 years 10 months. The exact length depends on the college and the specialty.
    Source: kchk.edu.kz (opens in a new tab)
  • About 80% of students admitted to colleges in the 2024/25 school year study on a state order, which means in state-funded places (in 2023/24 it was about 70%). But each college and each specialty has its own number of state-funded places.
    Source: inbusiness.kz (opens in a new tab)
  • There are also paid colleges. For example, training as a nurse at ADILMED costs 450,000 ₸ per year. Check the price and conditions on the college's website.
    Source: adilmed.kz (opens in a new tab)
UNT: which subjects to take for university

The UNT (Unified National Testing) is Kazakhstan's national university entrance test. You need it to get into university after grade 11.

  • The UNT 2026 has three compulsory subjects: History of Kazakhstan, Reading Literacy and Mathematical Literacy. On top of these, you take two profile subjects, chosen to match your specialty.
    Source: testcenter.kz (opens in a new tab)
  • In total, the test has 120 questions (maximum 140 points) and you get 4 hours. The format is the same as in 2025.
    Source: testcenter.kz (opens in a new tab)
  • Profile subjects depend on the group of specialties. For example: information technology — Mathematics and Computer Science; nursing and veterinary medicine — Biology and Chemistry; electrical engineering — Mathematics and Physics; law — World History and Fundamentals of Law. The full list is published by the National Testing Center.
    Source: testcenter.kz (opens in a new tab)
  • For creative specialties (for example, media and design), you take History of Kazakhstan and Reading Literacy through the UNT, and two creative exams at the university itself.
    Source: testcenter.kz (opens in a new tab)
  • Some universities have their own admission rules. Nazarbayev University, for example, requires a UNT score of at least 85, a GPA of 4.0 and English at IELTS 6.0 level.
    Source: nu.edu.kz (opens in a new tab)

Courses and opportunities

Opportunities near this field

Can you work before you turn 18?

Under Kazakhstan's Labour Code, teenagers can work, but with limits.

History of the career

Industrial design history can be explored through the connection between art and manufacturing. London’s Design Museum describes Peter Behrens’s work for the electrical company AEG: his responsibilities included products, buildings, the logo and advertising.

This coordinated approach placed a product within a wider system. In 1982, the Boilerhouse Project’s Art and Industry exhibition examined professional designers’ influence on manufacturing and argued for serious study of design. It was one episode in the profession’s recognition, rather than its only beginning. Designers still connect expressive form with function, but now test their decisions with engineers and users.

Source: beta.designmuseum.org (opens in a new tab)

Well-known people in this field

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