An evaluation of industrial design education in Brazil as seen by industrialists is presented. This evaluation is part of a survey conducted among industrial design teachers, industrialists, and design professionals who are independent or employed in government research organisations. The performance of newly graduated industrial designers (NGD) working for companies concerning development of projects and processes which innovate and differentiate these industries from their competitors was studied. The relationship between industrial design and innovation, characterizing the activity, the required skills and abilities of professionals, and its possible contribution to bring Brazil into an innovative economy is discussed. The objective is to gather information that might contribute to improving the quality of design education and come closer to those who order and make designs. The results suggest that design education must be reviewed and analyzed in more depth and that industrial concerns are not always aware of design.