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What does an assistant technical designer do?

Updated January 8, 2025
8 min read

An assistant technical designer primarily performs support tasks to assist technical designers in completing various projects. They are usually responsible for preparing and processing documents, conducting research and analyses, coordinating with different teams, organizing documents, and maintaining records. Moreover, they work together with technical designers in developing plans and strategies, creating prototypes and assessments, identifying issues and concerns, coordinating with engineers, and subjecting designs into various tests to ensure it adheres to the company's standards and policies.

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Assistant technical designer responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real assistant technical designer resumes:

  • Develop marketing and brand awareness initiatives through social media outlets; create and manage company Facebook and Houzz profiles.
  • Better price contemporary missy business suit and dresses.
  • Provide technical sketch, patterns, trim cost sheets, and sewing instructions.
  • Utilize PLM resources for checking garment or accessory details and artwork or embroidery placement.
  • Create all site HTML, CSS and Javascript coding for English, English Canadian and French site versions.
  • Design and hydraulically calculate automatic and fire protection systems on M.E.P CAD - Autosprink for high rise and other buildings.
  • Implement Java Servlets to interpret requests, and translate them into operations on the model, and then display the result.
  • Develop Java-based UI in collaboration with third party engineers.
  • Develop new thread combinations, embroidery and embellishment designs, fabric combinations and innovative construction details.
  • Develop marketing and brand awareness initiatives through social media outlets; create and manage company Facebook and Houzz profiles.

Assistant technical designer skills and personality traits

We calculated that 10% of Assistant Technical Designers are proficient in Sketch, Tech Packs, and Apparel. They’re also known for soft skills such as Analytical skills, Time-management skills, and Artistic ability.

We break down the percentage of Assistant Technical Designers that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Sketch, 10%

    Sketch ideas and conceptualize new fabric techniques (Embossing / Studding / Washes).

  • Tech Packs, 9%

    Track all tech packs in detailed status chart & follow all samples within the seasons through development to delivery.

  • Apparel, 9%

    Developed trim applications, trim symbols, brush strokes, washing effects & production techniques for apparel & accessory designs.

  • Garment Construction, 9%

    Communicate with factories overseas about garment construction.

  • PLM, 9%

    Utilized PLM resources for checking garment or accessory details and artwork or embroidery placement.

  • Adobe Illustrator, 7%

    Assisted Designers in tech pack preparation (Utilized Adobe Illustrator).

"sketch," "tech packs," and "apparel" are among the most common skills that assistant technical designers use at work. You can find even more assistant technical designer responsibilities below, including:

Analytical skills. The most essential soft skill for an assistant technical designer to carry out their responsibilities is analytical skills. This skill is important for the role because "graphic designers must be able to perceive their work from their consumers’ point of view to ensure that the designs convey the client’s message." Additionally, an assistant technical designer resume shows how their duties depend on analytical skills: "maintain the consistency of quality standards through fit, fabric testing and pattern analysis. "

Time-management skills. Another essential skill to perform assistant technical designer duties is time-management skills. Assistant technical designers responsibilities require that "graphic designers often work simultaneously on multiple projects, each with a different deadline." Assistant technical designers also use time-management skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "track and monitor progress of fit samples and pre-production samples for all division in relation to delivery deadlines. "

Artistic ability. assistant technical designers are also known for artistic ability, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to assistant technical designer responsibilities, because "graphic designers must be able to create designs that are artistically interesting and appealing to clients and consumers." An assistant technical designer resume example shows how artistic ability is used in the workplace: "used creative and artistic skills to bring additional innovation to design processes. "

Communication skills. assistant technical designer responsibilities often require "communication skills." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "graphic designers must communicate with clients, customers, and other designers to ensure that their designs accurately and effectively convey information." This resume example shows what assistant technical designers do with communication skills on a typical day: "maintained collaborative relationships with overseas partners through daily communications regarding sample tracking, fit results, and tech packs. "

Computer skills. Another crucial skill for an assistant technical designer to carry out their responsibilities is "computer skills." A big part of what assistant technical designers relies on this skill, since "most graphic designers use specialized graphic design software to prepare their designs." How this skill relates to assistant technical designer duties can be seen in an example from an assistant technical designer resume snippet: "communicated with overseas factories daily regarding sample status and approvals trained newly hired assistant technical designers on daily procedures and computer programs"

Creativity. Another skill commonly found on assistant technical designer job descriptions is "creativity." It can come up quite often in assistant technical designer duties, since "graphic designers must be able to think of new approaches to communicating ideas to consumers." Here's an example from a resume of how this skill fits into day-to-day assistant technical designer responsibilities: "collaborated with head designer on creative direction, garment construction and fabrication of the collection. "

All assistant technical designer skills

The three companies that hire the most assistant technical designers are:

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Assistant Technical Designer Resume
Assistant Technical Designer Resume
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Assistant Technical Designer Resume
Assistant Technical Designer Resume
Assistant Technical Designer Resume
Assistant Technical Designer Resume
Assistant Technical Designer Resume
Assistant Technical Designer Resume
Assistant Technical Designer Resume
Assistant Technical Designer Resume
Assistant Technical Designer Resume
Assistant Technical Designer Resume
Assistant Technical Designer Resume
Assistant Technical Designer Resume
Assistant Technical Designer Resume

Compare different assistant technical designers

Assistant technical designer vs. Production artist

A production artist is responsible for managing digital content, meeting clients' standard specifications and requests for successful project completion. Production artists must have computer proficiency, especially on utilizing various software tools and applications to create illustrations and layouts. They also work closely with the creative team, cooperating in brainstorming sessions to ensure the consistency for each assigned task. A production artist should be keen on details, adjusting outputs as needed to maintain the highest quality for the actual presentation.

If we compare the average assistant technical designer annual salary with that of a production artist, we find that production artists typically earn a $6,210 higher salary than assistant technical designers make annually.While their salaries may differ, the common ground between assistant technical designers and production artists are a few of the skills required in each roleacirc;euro;trade;s responsibilities. In both careers, employee duties involve skills like sketch, adobe illustrator, and adobe photoshop.

These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of an assistant technical designer are more likely to require skills like "tech packs," "apparel," "garment construction," and "plm." On the other hand, a job as a production artist requires skills like "graphic design," "adobe creative suite," "adobe indesign," and "production art." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.

Production artists tend to reach similar levels of education than assistant technical designers. In fact, production artists are 1.9% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.2% less likely to have a Doctoral Degree.

Assistant technical designer vs. Graphic artist

A graphic artist is either an illustrator or an animator who creates art work that will be used in graphic projects such as advertisements, posters, or even book covers. Although a graphic artist has his/her own style of artwork, he/she may be often commissioned to create art specifically for a particular project. A graphic artist may work with a graphic designer in order to convey the overall message of a project. The portfolio of a graphic artist includes cartoons, illustrations, and graphic novels.

On average, graphic artists earn a $760 lower salary than assistant technical designers a year.While the salary may differ for these jobs, they share a few skills needed to perform their duties. Based on resume data, both assistant technical designers and graphic artists have skills such as "adobe illustrator," "adobe photoshop," and "cad. "

Each career also uses different skills, according to real assistant technical designer resumes. While assistant technical designer responsibilities can utilize skills like "sketch," "tech packs," "apparel," and "garment construction," graphic artists use skills like "graphic design," "art direction," "photography," and "brochures."

Graphic artists may earn a lower salary than assistant technical designers, but graphic artists earn the most pay in the non profits industry with an average salary of $68,382. On the other hand, assistant technical designers receive higher pay in the manufacturing industry, where they earn an average salary of $60,173.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Graphic artists tend to reach similar levels of education than assistant technical designers. In fact, they're 1.9% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.2% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Assistant technical designer vs. Graphic design assistant

Graphic Design Assistants help graphic designers in creating art, fulfilling orders, and managing the studio. They may be budding graphic designers looking for industry experience or creative professionals interested in getting into the graphic designing industry. They should be familiar with the different tools and concepts involved in graphic design. Graphic Design Assistants help lead graphic designers to complete different activities. They may assist by lining, coloring, rendering, and adding finishing touches to the designs. They may also be in charge of packaging physical art and booking shipments to buyers. Graphic Design Assistants should be able to showcase their creative prowess. They are welcome to pitch in designs, critique art, and provide input.

An average graphic design assistant eans a lower salary compared to the average salary of assistant technical designers. The difference in salaries amounts to graphic design assistants earning a $14,825 lower average salary than assistant technical designers.Using the responsibilities included on assistant technical designers and graphic design assistants resumes, we found that both professions have similar skill requirements, such as "sketch," "tech packs," and "adobe illustrator.rdquo;

There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, an assistant technical designer is likely to be skilled in "apparel," "garment construction," "plm," and "fit comments," while a typical graphic design assistant is skilled in "graphic design," "customer service," "photography," and "adobe creative suite."

Graphic design assistants earn the highest salary when working in the finance industry, where they receive an average salary of $57,595. Comparatively, assistant technical designers have the highest earning potential in the manufacturing industry, with an average salary of $60,173.When it comes to education, graphic design assistants tend to earn similar degree levels compared to assistant technical designers. In fact, they're 2.7% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.1% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Assistant technical designer vs. Design internship

As the name entails, graphic design interns learn about the career in graphic design in a hands-on setting. They have varied tasks and duties, including taking part in every meeting of the design team, conducting client research, assisting with social media and design projects, and working closely with experienced designers. They are often paid little or nothing at all for their service, but the experience that they acquire from their field can be dispensable.

Design interns average a lower salary than the annual salary of assistant technical designers. The difference is about $9,869 per year.According to resumes from assistant technical designers and design interns, some of the skills necessary to complete the responsibilities of each role are similar. These skills include "sketch," "tech packs," and "plm. "

Even though a few skill sets overlap between assistant technical designers and design interns, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, an assistant technical designer might have more use for skills like "apparel," "garment construction," "fit comments," and "technical sketches." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of design interns require skills like "design intern," "graphic design," "user experience," and "visualization. "

The technology industry tends to pay the highest salaries for design interns, with average annual pay of $54,174. Comparatively, the highest assistant technical designer annual salary comes from the manufacturing industry.The average resume of design interns showed that they earn higher levels of education compared to assistant technical designers. So much so that theyacirc;euro;trade;re 6.2% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree by 0.1%.

Types of assistant technical designer

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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