Bundesinstitut für Berufsbildung (BIBB)

Designation of occupation

Product designer - textiles (m/f)

Duration of traineeship

3 years
The venues for training delivery are the training company and the vocational school

Field of activity

Product designers - textiles convert submitted pattern designs in accordance with technical requirements and customer wishes and also develop and create their own designs for different textile product groups. e.g. woven goods and knitwear, embroidery, textile floor coverings, textile prints and technical textiles. Their work involves wide use of technical aids such as graphic design systems, but manual draughtsmanship continues to be an essential prerequisite for the job. The occupation involves both creative and technical elements. Product designers - textiles practice their occupation in pattern departments in companies in the textile and clothing industry and in textile workshops. They also frequently work on a freelance basis.

Occupational skills

 Product designers - textiles

• select appropriate textile raw materials and products according to their intended use and economic considerations;
• prepare technical documentation and specify work routines;
• master design techniques and machine technologies;
• apply different painting and drawing techniques such as pencil, chalk and water colour;
• use different design elements such as colour, structure and form;
• develop designs according to intended use and test their technical feasibility;
• transfer pattern designs and repeats to a technical drawing;
• produce sample data carriers and make prototypes on the machines;
• operate image processing systems to prepare and modify designs;
• archive used pattern designs and master data;
• assess quality and initiate quality assurance measures;  

Last modified on: December 12, 2006