Every child and adult knows about the LEGO brand and its products. Every one of us has played with them and has built castles and cars out of these blocks. They have come a long way from Building structures for kids to adult activities. The LEGO brand has been uniquely specialized in kids’ education and learning models for decades. They have been improving the building blocks so many times and still are at the center of curiosity for kids and adults. In case you want to become a LEGO designer, you are required to have an engineering or architecture degree. In this article, we will explain all the necessary details to become a Lego designer.
Steps to become a Lego designer.
Here we have mentioned some of the steps that can help you to become a Lego designer. Additionally, this information will make you stand apart from others and get your dream job.
1. Understand the Basics:
This is the most crucial and initial step towards becoming a Lego designer. An excellent understanding of the basics is required before moving into more advanced and complex fundamentals.
The best way to understand the basics is by enrolling in some Lego design courses. You will learn the basics of structures, function, and aesthetics. After firming the fundamental understanding of these ideas, you can start implementing them on Lego bricks.
Additionally, you should be well-versed with the fundamental elements of Lego. You should be aware of the many forms, sizes, and purposes of bricks. This knowledge will be essential while creating your own Lego sets.
2. Discover your Niche:
Have you got a solid understanding of the basics? It is necessary to discover your niche after that. After reaching this stage, start identifying the kind of designs you want to create. Whether you want to create buildings or design cars. The possibilities are unlimited for designing Lego sets. It is essential to find something that you are enthusiastic about. Know about what you can see yourself working on for a significant amount of time.
3. Build Your Skills:
When you have identified your niche, it’s time to enhance your design skills. Practice is the key to this step. The more you will create the design, the better you will be at it. You can even use the Bricklinks Studio software to practice your designing skills. This free software program lets you create digital Lego models. Additionally, it lets you create anything from simple houses to complex automobiles.
It’s not necessary to create Lego models digitally; you can even design the models physically. Take a plain sheet of paper, create a rough draft of your design and then work on it to make it a reality. It’s not complicated to design Lego models. You just need to think creatively, because the more creative you think the better design you will be able to create.
4. Challenge Yourself:
Putting yourself through challenges is the best way to enhance your Lego-building abilities. After mastering the fundamentals, try to go beyond your limits to see how far you can take your designs. You can participate in the Lego design competition to accomplish this. You just need to submit your unique designs. If your design is selected in the competition, you will receive recognition along with a cash prize.
If you want to go out of your way to challenge yourself, then you should go for some complex Lego building projects. These are large-scale models and take longer time than usual. It can take weeks or even months to complete it. The designs are pretty intricate and require a lot of persistence and commitment.
Additionally, you will receive great prizes for finishing a completed task. You will not only have an impressive design to display but you will also get the satisfaction of the fact that you created something truly unique.
5. Build an impressive resume:
It is important to build an impressive resume as soon as you start enhancing your Lego design skills. This should include all the creative designs, some of your great work, and experiences that you can show to potential employers. You should showcase a variety of designs in your portfolio from basic models to intricate ones. It should include both the designs physical and digital. This will demonstrate your versatility in both mediums. It would be great if you mentioned your skill sets and knowledge of the software. This will provide a better understanding of identity and creativity.
Building a well-organized and creative portfolio is essential if you wish to become a Lego designer.
6. Compete for the Job:
In this field, traditional hiring is not the way to get the position. You need to participate in so many competitions with participants from different countries and win the position and title of master model builder. Your creativity skills, knowledge, range, and flexibility in doing work are some of the criteria for selecting a winner.
7. Gain Experiences:
As we have stated previously, participating in the contests is the best way to get experience for a Lego designer. However, it’s not limited to contests, there are some other alternative ways to enhance your skill sets and gain experience.
The first method is to submit your design to Lego fan sites. It’s a devoted website to all Lego-related things. The website has a dedicated section where Lego designers can share their design skills and receive feedback.
Taking part in online Lego forums and discussions is another strategy to enhance your experience. Several Lego websites are available online, where builders with different levels of skills share their Lego models and give feedback to each other.
Alternatively, you have the option to start your YouTube channel, where you can instruct other people to design Lego models or you can just construct your designs on camera.
With YouTube, TikTok is another platform that is expanding rapidly. It has surpassed Instagram in popularity. Other than that, you should create a LinkedIn profile as well. This will be useful for finding jobs.
8. Look for the Job:
After enhancing your skills and experience, you need to start looking for a job. The best place to start with is the job boards on Lego fan sites. It’s typically the first place where new job openings are announced.
Another option is to contact the Lego website itself and inquire about the job possibilities. However, it is typically not the best way to look for a job as the competition over here is high because they receive hundreds of applications every day.
Networking is another way to accomplish the job. You need to constantly be in communication with individuals who work for Lego or who are connected with the Lego Company.
9. Continue Learning:
Let’s say you are capable enough to get a job as a Lego designer. Enhancing your designing skills and continuous learning is still very important. You need to constantly prove your capabilities as the competition for the position is high.
To be consistent with your learning, you can opt for courses and workshops. These courses will provide all the information about Lego designs, starting from its basics to more complex designs.
Professional Lego designers are also frequently hosting workshops. It’s a great opportunity to observe and learn from the industry’s best leaders.
Apart from taking workshops and courses, it is also important to be updated with the latest Lego trends and designs. For that, you can follow the fan sites of Lego along with the Lego website itself.
10. Be Patient:
Finally, remember to be patient because getting a job as a Lego designer is a time-consuming process. It requires a lot of hard work, time and effort. Therefore you need to put lots of effort and hard work to become a Lego designer.
Where to get a job as a Lego builder?
The majority of foreign countries offer a job position for Lego builders. Companies that employ the position are-
- LEGO
- Merlin Entertainments
- The LEGO Group
- LEGOLAND Discovery Centre Arizona
- Brainiax Innovative Learning
- Brain Builders
- IPG Media Brands
- Okay Play
Number of Lego Builders in the world:
According to Priceonomics, there are only 40 Lego builders. The youngest master model builder hired by Lego was the 23-year-old Andrew Johnson. To get the position, he cleared all the tough three-round processes.
Conclusion:
Becoming a Lego designer is not a cup of tea for everyone. It requires lots of effort, dedication, time, and patience. For becoming a Lego designer, you need to develop your skills, experience, and networks. That’s all about it to become a Lego designer. We hope that the information that we have shared is valuable for you.