Ceramics designer

Work as a ceramics designer can range from being self-employed developing your own products to working for a large commercial employer in mass production

As a ceramics designer, you'll create designs for a range of pottery objects that are then made by shaping and firing clay. As well as clay, you'll work with materials such as porcelain, bone china and stoneware to make the products. You'll usually also paint or glaze the item to finish it off.

If you work for a large company, you'll interpret a product brief and turn it into a commercially successful design for mass production.

In a self-employed capacity, or if working for a small company, you're more likely to both design and make your own one-off or limited edition designs. There can be some crossover though, meaning you could find yourself undertaking design commissions for mass-produced products for major companies.

Alternative titles for this role include ceramicist and potter.

Types of ceramic design

You may produce objects such as:

• bathroom fixtures
• ceramic sculpture pieces
• domestic and commercial tableware and kitchenware
• garden ceramics
• giftware
• jewellery
• wall and floor tiles.

Responsibilities

The tasks you carry out as a ceramics designer will usually depend on where you're working.

Within a large company in industry, you'll typically need to:

• liaise with the client and interpret and work to a brief
• create designs for mass production
• select appropriate materials and work to a designated budget, e.g. for a new collection
• oversee production to ensure the brief and quality levels are met
• decide on decorative techniques and glazes
• conduct market research to find out what competitors are producing and how well existing lines are doing.

As a self-employed designer, or a designer working for a small company, you'll need to:

• design and produce one-off objects
• select materials appropriate to the design
• shape clay by hand, thrown on a wheel or in a mould
• load kilns, glaze, decorate and fire products
• prepare work for sale and exhibition
• sell products directly from a studio, market stalls or crafts fairs, online, by mail order or through specialist craft shops and galleries
• develop clear artistic objectives and a business plan
• attend appropriate courses to learn new techniques and to keep up to date with current trends
• potentially teach in further education and run community workshops.

If you're self-employed, you'll need to market your work to generate business. Typically you'll need to:

• network to connect with buyers and suppliers in their specialist market
• research trends, markets and prices by visiting craft exhibitions
• demonstrate skills at craft fairs and exhibitions
• photograph designs for a portfolio, for websites and for catalogues to promote your work
• learn appropriate software skills to develop publicity materials and websites
• collaborate with other designers in a shared studio, joint exhibition, cooperative, craft guild or artists' organisation
• enter competitions and applying for funding.

Salary

Salaries vary widely according to whether you are employed or self-employed, how experienced, successful and well-established you are, and how active and skilled you are at promoting your own work.

• Starting salaries for those in an employed position can be around £15,000 to £18,000.
• Experienced ceramics designers can earn more than £30,000.

Earnings as a self-employed ceramics designer can be very low, particularly in the early stages of your career. Your salary can also fluctuate from year to year depending on how successful you are. You may need to be prepared to develop a portfolio style of working, generating income through several different jobs - teaching being a popular one.

Income figures are intended as a guide only.

Working hours

If employed, your working hours will usually be regular and around 40 hours per week. You may occasionally need to do extra hours to meet deadlines.

If you're a self-employed designer, you'll be able to set your own hours but you will typically need to be flexible, working more hours in some weeks in order to meet demand.

What to expect

• You may work within a studio workshop at home, in a unit on an industrial estate as part of a managed workspace complex, in a design studio or on a factory floor.
• As a freelance or self-employed ceramics designer, you can work anywhere in the country. In an employed role however, it's likely you'd be based within areas linked to the traditional West Midlands potteries.
• Working as a self-employed ceramics designer can be isolating. It's possible to become part of a creative community though by sharing a creative workspace or joining a studio group sharing resources.
• Lack of job security and fluctuating income can be stressful for some self-employed designers. However, the advantages of being your own boss, and the flexibility to organise work to suit personal circumstances, can be appealing. Working for a large company as an in-house designer may give you more job security. In this role, it's likely you'll work in a team, liaising with external suppliers and clients.
• Travel to meet clients and manufacturers or to research, exhibit and sell work at exhibitions, trade and craft fairs is likely from time to time.

Qualifications

Although a career as a ceramics designer is open to graduates of any discipline, in practice, most will have studied an art or design degree such as:

• applied arts or design (with ceramics included)
• ceramics
• 3D design.

A postgraduate degree is not essential but may be useful for honing practical skills and preparing you for professional life. It will be particularly helpful if your undergraduate degree is unrelated. Search postgraduate courses in ceramics.

It is also possible to enter the career without a degree if you have built up practical experience and skills. To do this you could complete training courses and workshops that are run by design studios and ceramists. This can also help to build contacts for future employment.

A variety of part-time courses are also available in further and adult education institutes, providing the opportunity to develop ceramics skills.

You may also be able to start as a design studio assistant and then build up your skills on the job and through additional training to become a ceramics designer.

Skills

You'll need to show:

• creative flair and practical ceramics skills
• time management and the ability to work to deadlines
• excellent communication skills
• organisational ability
• attention to detail
• patience
• photography, computer software and design skills
• a good understanding of health and safety issues.

If you're self-employed, you'll also need to have some business and marketing skills to promote and sell your products.

Work experience

Work experience can be a useful way to build up your ceramics skills, allowing you to create a portfolio of your work, which can then be used to help secure a job or freelance assignments. It also allows you to build a network of industry contacts.

You might be able to get work experience placements through your degree or you could try contacting ceramicists to ask if they have any opportunities. You can also make speculative approaches to prospective employers, e.g. major ceramics companies to see if they can offer work shadowing or placements.

Work experience in sales, business and marketing can also be useful, especially if you’re planning to become self-employed. You can find business skills training through organisations such as The Design Trust.

Finding part-time work in retail outlets that sell ceramics can also help as it gives you an insight into market trends, what sells well and emerging designs.

Entering competitions and applying to exhibit or sell work at trade shows and craft fairs is also a great way to develop your experience. Employers, retail buyers, galleries and the design press attend these events to look for new talent so it may lead to future work.

Find out more about the different kinds of work experience and internships that are available.

Employers

Many ceramicists are self-employed, working to commission or selling work directly from the studio, through websites, galleries, at craft markets and specialist retail outlets.

Establishing yourself as a self-employed ceramics designer/ceramicist is hard work and competitive. There are, however, bodies that provide support with grants in order to help buy equipment and set up studios, like the Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust. Regional funding opportunities are covered by websites including:

• Crafts Council
• Craft NI
• Craft Scotland.

It's vital to document your work and products professionally, using the skills of a specialist photographer or developing your own photographic skills, to create high-quality portfolios and websites that illustrate different aspects of your work. This can then be used for speculative freelance commissions.

Many in-house, employed ceramics designers work for long-established companies, such as:

• Denby
• Royal Crown Derby
• Royal Doulton.

Companies are concentrated in areas linked with the traditional potteries of the West Midlands. Pressure from cheaper imports can affect employment levels but employers see design as a way to compete in global markets and hold design skills in high regard. Therefore, opportunities for in-house designers and freelance commissions continue to exist.

Design opportunities for ceramic designers with experience may also be available with major homeware retailers such as Habitat and IKEA.

You can search for other makers, who may be able to offer opportunities, using the Crafts Council Directory and resources such as The New Craftsmen.

Look for job vacancies at:

• Ceramic Review
• The Crafts Council - also has careers information in its Crafts Magazine.

You can also look in trade magazines and the local press for vacancies with larger employers.

Professional development

Continuing professional development (CPD) is essential for both employed and self-employed ceramics designers as it allows you to maintain your skills and keep up with developing trends. Membership of the Craft Potters Association provides useful industry updates, networking opportunities and support.

Keeping up to date with trends and markets is important and you can do this by:

• visiting museums and galleries
• seeing what other professionals are doing at trade exhibitions
• reading the creative press
• attending courses and creative workshops
• networking with other artists at events and through membership forums
• using directories to find other designers and makers to connect with or get inspired by.

In larger companies, training is often organised in-house. If you're self-employed, you can complete short courses to learn specialist production techniques and new technologies.

Specialist courses are advertised in trade magazines, through business support agencies, design networks and relevant e-newsletters.

As a self-employed ceramicist, you may wish to take advantage of the programmes and courses run by the Crafts Council. Check its website for current details.

Career prospects

How you develop your career will depend to some extent on your specialism. Many designers aspire to self-employment in the ceramic craft/studios sector and concentrate on the design and production of individual styles and products. To help with this, ceramicists often develop a portfolio career, combining self-employment with:

• arts management
• community arts work
• gallery management
• teaching.

In larger companies, career progression comes from working with production teams, liaising with external clients and seizing opportunities to be innovative. There may be opportunities in research departments or for promotion to managing teams of designers within the studio. Increased responsibility will inevitably bring an increase in non-design related tasks.

If you opt for self-employment, it will be essential to build your reputation through exhibition success, networking, writing articles and giving talks about your work and techniques.

Alternative routes or future career development options include working in higher education as a lecturer in ceramics or in digital arts journalism.