In this paper, we presented a study on the design of permanent magnet rotor for exterior rotor type brushless direct current(BLDC) motor. To reduce the cogging torque and torque ripple, the specific shape and magnetization pattern of permanent magnets in BLDC motors are suggested. Firstly, four permanent magnet models with different shapes and magnetization arrays are presented. The results from the finite element method(FEM), the most effective model for reducing cogging torque and torque ripple was presented. In addition, to confirm the steady state performance, the torque-speed characteristic analysis has been performed with variable speed and load. Finally, the best permanent magnet model for reducing cogging torque and torque ripple with appropriate torque-speed performance was selected through the comparison according to the device volume.