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Building architectural designer vs draftsman/designer

The differences between building architectural designers and draftsman/designers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a building architectural designer and a draftsman/designer. Additionally, a building architectural designer has an average salary of $67,414, which is higher than the $52,529 average annual salary of a draftsman/designer.

The top three skills for a building architectural designer include customer service, CAD and revit. The most important skills for a draftsman/designer are design layouts, solidworks, and shop drawings.

Building architectural designer vs draftsman/designer overview

Building Architectural DesignerDraftsman/Designer
Yearly salary$67,414$52,529
Hourly rate$32.41$25.25
Growth rate-3%-3%
Number of jobs50,29047,341
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 60%Associate Degree, 51%
Average age4545
Years of experience1212

Building architectural designer vs draftsman/designer salary

Building architectural designers and draftsman/designers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Building Architectural DesignerDraftsman/Designer
Average salary$67,414$52,529
Salary rangeBetween $49,000 And $92,000Between $30,000 And $89,000
Highest paying City-Washington, DC
Highest paying state-New Jersey
Best paying company-TalentBurst
Best paying industry-Technology

Differences between building architectural designer and draftsman/designer education

There are a few differences between a building architectural designer and a draftsman/designer in terms of educational background:

Building Architectural DesignerDraftsman/Designer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 60%Associate Degree, 51%
Most common majorArchitectureDrafting And Design
Most common collegeCornell UniversityCarnegie Mellon University

Building architectural designer vs draftsman/designer demographics

Here are the differences between building architectural designers' and draftsman/designers' demographics:

Building Architectural DesignerDraftsman/Designer
Average age4545
Gender ratioMale, 83.0% Female, 17.0%Male, 92.2% Female, 7.8%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 11.7% Asian, 7.0% White, 72.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 11.7% Asian, 7.0% White, 72.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage6%6%

Differences between building architectural designer and draftsman/designer duties and responsibilities

Building architectural designer example responsibilities.

  • Lead the development of BIM modeling content for the architecture team as a direct report to the executive and lead architects.
  • Install doors, windows, flooring (laminate and tile), frame walls, build and design shelves and closets.
  • Repair siding, roof replacement, doors and windows under codes and contracts.
  • Develop customized user interaction models using object-orient prototyping.
  • Conceptualize marketing campaigns that leverage Facebook and social media platforms that are recognized as the new best practice in public engagement.
  • Review of installations and document deficiencies for the client to ensure the design meets codes and contract documents using PowerPoint presentations.
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Draftsman/designer example responsibilities.

  • Manage and supervise other draftsmen.
  • Assist with structural steel detailing, machine design, CNC graphics and ceramics machine design projects.
  • Detail preliminary design drawings to create BOM's, production use shop layouts, and specific details.
  • Travele to various work sites to dimension and sketch details of the projects.
  • Develop and maintain current Revit templates for consistency and overall visual quality of projects.
  • Design and draft building components from red lines create by MEP engineers with revit software.
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Building architectural designer vs draftsman/designer skills

Common building architectural designer skills
  • Customer Service, 18%
  • CAD, 18%
  • Revit, 11%
  • HVAC, 6%
  • BIM, 6%
  • R, 5%
Common draftsman/designer skills
  • Design Layouts, 16%
  • Solidworks, 10%
  • Shop Drawings, 5%
  • R, 4%
  • HVAC, 4%
  • Customer Specifications, 3%

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