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Product development designer skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025
6 min read
Quoted experts
Lorrie Ivas,
Lorrie Ivas
Product development designer example skills
Below we've compiled a list of the most critical product development designer skills. We ranked the top skills for product development designers based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 15.0% of product development designer resumes contained sketch as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a product development designer needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 product development designer skills for your resume and career

1. Sketch

Here's how product development designers use sketch:
  • Interpreted and drafted women s swimwear from designer s first sketch.
  • Sketch and present seasonal assortment.

2. CAD

Here's how product development designers use cad:
  • Initiate Sample requests, Prepare CAD and detail sketches for tech packs, communicate daily with customers and with overseas factories
  • Provided CDQM (CAD Drafting Quality Management) Team with adept knowledge of ASME Y14.5M GD&T standards.

3. R

R is a free software environment and a language used by programmers for statistical computing. The R programming language is famously used for data analysis by data scientists.

Here's how product development designers use r:
  • Helped engineering stall design the Gerald R Ford aircraft carrier.
  • Established Double R Studio, a contemporary wallpaper and soft goods company.

4. Tech Packs

A tech pack is an informative sheet that designers create to communicate with a manufacturer all the details and components necessary to turn a product into a finished product. It also serves as a "product contract" between a person and the manufacturer throughout the sampling and production process. Typically, designers include dimensions, materials, sketches, size specifications, colors, illustrations, hardware, grading, labels/tags, construction information, and legends. The tech pack is essential for quality control and also ensures that the submitted samples meet ones specifications exactly and that one does not waste time and money reproducing them if they are incorrect.

Here's how product development designers use tech packs:
  • Create tech packs and communicate effectively with overseas mills throughout development process.
  • Created production tech packs and worked closely with production team to ensure quality standard during the production process.

5. Graphic Design

Graphic design is the art of making visual content to communicate messages. Designers apply different page layout methods and visual hierarchy by using letters and pictures to meet the need of end-users. Most companies use graphic design to sell their product or services and to convey complicated information by using infographics.

Here's how product development designers use graphic design:
  • Provide graphic designs for silk screen printing to Printing Section using Adobe Illustrator CS6.
  • Analyze business and develop appropriate and effective graphic design and layout.

6. Solidworks

Here's how product development designers use solidworks:
  • Create, modify and release models, drawings and assembly using SOLIDWORKS and SOLIDWORKS PDM.
  • Created excellent 3D models for injection molding or machining using Pro-Engineer and SolidWorks.

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7. Design Software

Design software is used to create, edit, and display various types of graphics and images, including but not limited to photography, 3D design, and the website interface. It enables users to create a wide variety of visual files and offers various tools and functions to enhance the user's artistic skills and techniques. Some features include design, image editing, and digital illustration. Design software might also reference the actual act of creating a piece of software or application with a larger business or product goal in mind.

Here's how product development designers use design software:
  • Utilized Pattern Design Software and System Management programs in the Gerber System daily.
  • Used company project design software to complete projects.

9. Apparel

Apparel is anything worn especially formal clothes; outerwear; garments; attire; raiment worn on an important occasion to protect, wrap, adorn or beautify the body. Apparel also refers to clothing of a specific type that is sold in stores. Product categories include everything from basic items like underwear, badges, jewelry to luxury items. The general classification of clothing is as follows: men's wear, women's wear, children's wear, and others.

Here's how product development designers use apparel:
  • Contributed to business development activities and other aspects of a growing apparel business.
  • Produced original textile designs for pet blankets, beds, and apparel based on client specified requests.

10. Technical Drawings

Here's how product development designers use technical drawings:
  • Generated technical drawings for prototyping, mock-ups and presentation material for interim reviews with clients.
  • Develop illustrations and technical drawings.

11. Product Design

Product design can be described as a process of imagining, creating, and iterating products that solve user's problems and talk about the specific needs of users in the market. Product design is an engineering disciple and it is the basic design and idea that goes before the mass production of the product.

Here's how product development designers use product design:
  • Designed and developed new products and updated current product design library.
  • Established product design department for advanced and conceptual activities.

12. Market Research

Market research is a collective effort to collect information related to a consumer's needs and wants. It is a systematic approach that involves recording and analysis of both qualitative and quantitative data. Market research helps a business to identify a target market correctly and identify the gaps in potential consumer's expectations.

Here's how product development designers use market research:
  • Worked with rough ideas from market research to fully-manufactured consumer product; and assisted in product quality control and assurance.
  • Market Research for trends and competitors' products.

13. Design Process

The process by which a product is formed is referred to as the design process. It requires the conceptualization of what the product may look like in terms of aesthetics, what it will be made of and most importantly, what it will do. A design process puts this process in order so that the creation of the product is seamless and has the least amount of errors and slack while it is being made.

Here's how product development designers use design process:
  • Utilize and posses extensive knowledge of PLM systems, which aid in the Product Development and Design process.
  • Collaborate in the conceptual design process for different type of projects.

14. Product Line

Product line is a collection of similar or related products that may be under a single brand manufactured by the same company. It may include different varieties of a specific product of a brand which comes in different categories. In other cases, the product line may differ in some characteristics despite being from the same manufacturer.

Here's how product development designers use product line:
  • Worked collaboratively as a team to meet all marketing and sales initiatives and support sustained growth of brand and product line.
  • Created finished art and technical renderings for all aspects of production, packaging, and marketing of product line.

15. Aided Design

Here's how product development designers use aided design:
  • Aided designers in style creation department, overseeing production planning and developing several eveningwear and sportswear pieces.
  • Designed commercial sized playground using Computer Aided Design and Drafting software.
top-skills

What skills help Product Development Designers find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

What skills stand out on product development designer resumes?

Lorrie Ivas

Full-time Faculty, Santa Monica College

Knowledge of the "entire" design process - from hand sketch to drape, draft, construction, digital skills in pattern drafting and design (i.e., Tukatech, Clo or similar), Adobe Creative Suite - Photoshop/Illustrator for presentation (look books, colorways, etc.) - is a standout, even though the actual position applying for may not require seasoned skills in every single step. The employer likes to know that the designer "gets" the process.

Companies like to see versatility... so even if a designer shows amazing swimwear in their portfolio, it is always important to show versatility in other design categories (and obviously whatever category the hiring company sells). Companies like to see what you can do for them and what they didn't realize you can do for them - i.e., new ideas in product collaborations, your genuine sustainability commitment, social media skills, etc.

What hard/technical skills are most important for product development designers?

Lorrie Ivas

Full-time Faculty, Santa Monica College

The ability to communicate your design concepts to the team (or future boss/interviewer) is vital. Hand and digital fashion sketching and illustration skills are necessary at every step. Scholarships, competitions, or internships often request a sample portfolio, so it doesn't go any further if the illustrations don't "wow" the judging viewer. One can sew/tailor beautifully, but knowing how to "show" that skillset to the judge or employer is vital - i.e., photographing the step-by-step process with close-up details of tailoring skills and presenting it digitally... will win. One may not show actual garments... so knowing how to "sell" your skills is crucial.

List of product development designer skills to add to your resume

Product development designer skills

The most important skills for a product development designer resume and required skills for a product development designer to have include:

  • Sketch
  • CAD
  • R
  • Tech Packs
  • Graphic Design
  • Solidworks
  • Design Software
  • Market Trends
  • Apparel
  • Technical Drawings
  • Product Design
  • Market Research
  • Design Process
  • Product Line
  • Aided Design
  • Design Concepts
  • Product Development
  • Photo Shoots
  • Lead Design
  • CSS
  • HTML
  • PLM
  • Embroidery
  • Medical Devices
  • Trade Shows
  • Quality Standards
  • End Design
  • BOM
  • Line Sheets
  • CNC
  • Technical Design
  • Private Label
  • Overseas Factories
  • JavaScript
  • PowerPoint
  • Design Changes
  • Overseas Vendors
  • Global Sourcing
  • Engineering Drawings
  • ISO
  • QC
  • PDM
  • Hong Kong
  • Sample Development
  • Action Calendar
  • Unigraphics
  • Business Development

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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