The futures
Where this can take you
One degree, many doors — and people wander between them their whole careers. Answer three quick either/ors and watch which doors light up for you today. (Today! It's allowed to change.)
Which sounds better?
What do you want to shape?
Where do you see yourself?
Design consultancy
IDEO, Frog, and hundreds of studios: clients bring a medical device one month, a coffee maker the next.
Best first job for figuring out what you love.
In-house at a big brand
Apple, Nike, LEGO, Herman Miller: years perfecting one product family with world-class resources.
Where icons like the ones from slide 3 get made.
Furniture studio
The original dream, and it's real: ateliers and brands where chairs and tables are the whole job.
Some designers apprentice, then launch their own line.
Product + UX crossover
Where physical meets digital: a smart speaker's shape AND its app. Industrial designers thrive here.
The fastest-growing corner of the field.
Your own studio
Design what you want, sell it yourself — 3D printing and small-batch manufacturing made this realistic.
Usually chapter two or three of a career, not chapter one.
Answer all three and watch the doors. (There are no wrong doors.) And the practical bit, since someone always asks: yes, this is a real profession that pays a real living — designers are hired, promoted, and fought over like engineers are.