# Product/Interior Designer
The Black Steel Studio | New Delhi / Gurugram
### About The Black Steel
The Black Steel is a premium bespoke lighting and lifestyle brand creating distinctive lighting, furniture and objects with a strong focus on material, form and functionality.
We are looking for a Product Designer who can take an idea from concept to a commercially viable, manufacturable product — balancing design, aesthetics, engineering, cost and production realities.
This is not a role limited to making beautiful renders. You will be involved in deciding what we should make, how we should make it, how much it should cost, and how it should eventually reach the customer.
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## The Role
As a Product Designer, you will be responsible for developing new lighting and lifestyle products from initial concept through prototyping, production and launch.
You will work closely with production, sourcing, inventory, sales and marketing to ensure that every product is:
- Visually distinctive
- Manufacturable
- Cost-effective
- Reliable
- Easy to assemble
- Appropriate for our brand
- Commercially viable
You will also help us build a more structured product-development system so that new products can move from idea → prototype → costing → testing → production → catalogue with minimal rework.
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# Key Responsibilities
### 1. Product Concept & Design
- Develop original concepts for lighting, furniture and lifestyle products.
- Research trends, materials, forms, finishes and international design references.
- Translate ideas into clear product concepts aligned with The Black Steel's design language.
- Develop variations in size, finish, configuration and application where commercially relevant.
- Design products for residential, hospitality, commercial and interior-design applications.
- Identify opportunities for new products based on customer requirements and market gaps.
### 2. Design Development
- Create detailed product drawings, sketches and 3D models.
- Define dimensions, proportions, materials, finishes and construction methods.
- Prepare production-ready drawings and specifications.
- Develop exploded views and assembly drawings where required.
- Work on hardware, joints, fittings, mounting systems and other functional details.
- Ensure that the design can be manufactured using our available processes and capabilities.
### 3. Prototyping
- Work directly with the workshop and production team to develop prototypes.
- Visit the workshop regularly and understand fabrication, grinding, welding, finishing and assembly processes.
- Test prototypes for proportion, strength, functionality, assembly and visual quality.
- Identify design problems early and modify designs before production.
- Reduce unnecessary iterations and avoid designs that create excessive production rework.
### 4. Manufacturing & Engineering
You should be comfortable getting into the practical details of manufacturing.
This includes understanding:
- MS, SS, aluminium, brass, copper and other materials
- Pipes, rods, sheets, tubes and profiles
- Welding and fabrication
- Cutting, drilling and threading
- Grinding and finishing
- Powder coating and plating
- Glass, wood and fabric components
- Electrical components and lighting hardware
- Assembly and packaging
You will work with production to determine how a product should actually be built, not just how it should look.
### 5. Costing & Commercial Viability
Every product must make business sense.
You will:
- Work with sourcing and production to estimate material and manufacturing costs.
- Compare alternative materials and construction methods.
- Identify opportunities to reduce unnecessary components and processes.
- Design products with target cost and target selling price in mind.
- Help determine whether a product should be produced, modified or discontinued.
- Consider packaging, shipping and installation requirements during design.
### 6. Product Standardisation
One of our key goals is to reduce unnecessary complexity caused by excessive customisation.
You will help establish:
- Standard dimensions
- Standard components
- Standard electrical parts
- Standard finishes
- Standard mounting systems
- Modular components
- Repeatable manufacturing methods
The goal is to create products that feel bespoke without requiring us to reinvent the manufacturing process every time.
### 7. Product Documentation
Maintain accurate product information including:
- Product drawings
- BOMs
- Material specifications
- Component specifications
- Finish specifications
- Assembly instructions
- Production notes
- Packaging requirements
- Product dimensions
- Product photography/rendering requirements
You will work closely with the operations team to ensure that the final approved design is correctly documented.
### 8. New Product Launch
Work with marketing and sales to prepare products for launch.
This may include:
- Product naming
- Product story/concept
- Product specifications
- Product renders
- Product photography direction
- Finish options
- Application suggestions
- Pricing inputs
- Website/catalogue information
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# What We Are Looking For
### Must Have
- 1–4 years of experience in product, industrial, furniture or lighting design.
- Strong understanding of form, proportion and material.
- Strong 3D modelling skills.
- Ability to create accurate technical/product drawings.
- Understanding of manufacturing and fabrication.
- Ability to work directly with workshop teams.
- Strong attention to detail.
- Ability to take ownership of a product from concept to production.
- Good visual judgement and understanding of premium design.
- Ability to work within commercial and manufacturing constraints.
### Software
Strong proficiency in at least some of the following:
- SolidWorks
- Rhino
- Fusion 360
- AutoCAD
- SketchUp
- KeyShot
- Blender
- Adobe Illustrator / Photoshop
More important than the number of software programs you know is your ability to use them to create a product that can actually be manufactured.
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# The Ideal Candidate
You are someone who:
Sees a beautiful object and immediately wonders how it was made.
You care about aesthetics, but you also care about:
> “How many parts does this need?”
> “Can we manufacture this repeatedly?”
> “Can this be assembled without errors?”
> “What happens when we make 50 of these?”
> “Can we reduce this component?”
> “What will this cost?”
> “Can it be packed and shipped safely?”
You enjoy moving between a computer, a workshop and a material sample table.
You are comfortable saying “this looks good, but it won't work” — and then finding a better solution.
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# What Success Looks Like
Within your first 6 months, you should be able to:
- Develop multiple new products from concept to production.
- Reduce unnecessary design iterations and production rework.
- Create clear and accurate production drawings.
- Build repeatable product construction systems.
- Improve product manufacturability and assembly.
- Help create a stronger and more coherent product collection.
- Contribute to commercially successful new product launches.
- Build a structured product-development pipeline for The Black Steel.
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# Why Join The Black Steel?
You won't be designing products that disappear into a catalogue.
You will have the opportunity to see your designs sketched, fabricated, welded, finished, assembled, photographed, installed and used in real spaces.
The role offers significant creative ownership and the opportunity to help shape the future product language of a growing Indian design brand.
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### Position
Product Designer
### Experience
1–2 years
### Location
New Delhi / Gurugram
### Employment
Full-time
### Compensation
₹16,000–₹18,000 per month, depending on experience, portfolio and skill level.
Portfolio is mandatory.
Candidates with strong hands-on manufacturing knowledge and exceptional product thinking may be considered irrespective of formal educational background.
### To Apply
Please share:
1. CV
2. Portfolio
3. 3–5 projects you personally designed
4. Examples showing the journey from concept → development → final product, wherever possible.
Subject: Product Designer – The Black Steel
Pay: ₹16,000.00 - ₹18,000.00 per month
Work Location: In person
