Computer hardware designer vs designer

The differences between computer hardware designers and designers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a computer hardware designer, becoming a designer takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a computer hardware designer has an average salary of $134,713, which is higher than the $66,347 average annual salary of a designer.

The top three skills for a computer hardware designer include CAD, PCB and FPGA. The most important skills for a designer are sketch, customer service, and graphic design.

Computer hardware designer vs designer overview

	Computer Hardware Designer	Designer
Yearly salary	$134,713	$66,347
Hourly rate	$64.77	$31.90
Growth rate	5%	3%
Number of jobs	59,580	52,433
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 71%	Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Average age	44	38
Years of experience	2	12

Computer hardware designer vs designer salary

Computer hardware designers and designers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Computer Hardware Designer	Designer
Average salary	$134,713	$66,347
Salary range	Between $95,000 And $189,000	Between $45,000 And $97,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Seattle, WA
Highest paying state	Washington	Washington
Best paying company	Apple	Meta
Best paying industry	-	Technology

Differences between computer hardware designer and designer education

There are a few differences between a computer hardware designer and a designer in terms of educational background:

	Computer Hardware Designer	Designer
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 71%	Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Most common major	Electrical Engineering	Graphic Design
Most common college	Northeastern University	University of Pennsylvania

Computer hardware designer vs designer demographics

Here are the differences between computer hardware designers' and designers' demographics:

	Computer Hardware Designer	Designer
Average age	44	38
Gender ratio	Male, 79.3% Female, 20.7%	Male, 56.9% Female, 43.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 5.1% Unknown, 2.9% Hispanic or Latino, 10.5% Asian, 30.0% White, 51.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%	Black or African American, 3.4% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 10.6% Asian, 10.4% White, 70.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	4%	13%

Differences between computer hardware designer and designer duties and responsibilities

Computer hardware designer example responsibilities.

Generate synthesis reports and automate simulation using Perl scripts.
Optimize design, permitting implementation in a cheaper FPGA.
Redesign most of the FPGA circuitry dedicate to this reflection.
Provide concept drawings, proof of concept / prototyping, creating manufacturing drawings, and field support.
Work as a team member to gather, classify, and document the software, hardware, and firmware requirements.
Perform design specification and RTL implementation of functional units and 2D imaging memory controllers.

Designer example responsibilities.

Lead & design all creative content stemming from apparel design to web identity.
Manage various PCB designs utilizing state of the art DFM techniques and comply with company standards.
Utilize CSS, DHTML, HTML, and JavaScript for cross browser, cross platform compatibility and consistency.
Develop different kinds of functions globally, locally for the development of forms using JavaScript, CSS.
Transform customer specifications into usable SolidWorks 3D models and assemblies from which all manufacturing are derived.
Process ECR's and ECO's using Windchill.

Computer hardware designer vs designer skills

Common computer hardware designer skills

CAD, 24%
PCB, 19%
FPGA, 16%
RF, 10%
Python, 9%
Hardware Development, 4%

Common designer skills

Sketch, 10%
Customer Service, 7%
Graphic Design, 6%
CSS, 5%
HTML, 4%
PowerPoint, 4%