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What does a custom designer do?

Updated January 8, 2025
8 min read
Quoted expert
Abby Guido

A custom designer's duties depend on their line of work or industry of employment. They are typically working together with a company's design and creative team where the tasks include meeting with clients to identify their preferences and needs, gathering and analyzing data to determine the best procedures, conceptualizing plans, drafting designs, and producing samples or prototypes for client approval. Furthermore, as a custom designer, it is essential to maintain an active communication line with the creative and production team to ensure the accuracy and quality of the end product.

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Custom designer responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real custom designer resumes:

  • Accomplish a theme redesign using css edits and html edits for a not for profit children's social network helpline.
  • Design and code responsive email templates to current industry standards using CSS, HTML and some JSON.
  • Develop functional wireframes and GUI prototypes in HTML using Dreamweaver MX.
  • Perform QC test on the fabric to ensure it meet customer requirements.
  • Utilize various graphical and animation software tools and technologies to transform graphical concepts into specific electronic applications on and off-line.
  • Create t-shirt graphics and logos for embroidery.
  • Create designs for customers, for screen printing and embroidery.
  • Utilize SEO and UX best practices in all endeavors.
  • Update and maintain websites, including enhancing sites for SEO.
  • Design promotional ads and publications for AG's stores and corporate office.
  • Edit and proofread company documents and contributor articles for publication.

Custom designer skills and personality traits

We calculated that 13% of Custom Designers are proficient in Sketch, Customer Orders, and Customer Service. They’re also known for soft skills such as Analytical skills, Communication skills, and Computer skills.

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

  • Sketch, 13%

    Initiated and oversaw development from initial concept sketch to final production, working closely with Chinese engineering and manufacturing vendors.

  • Customer Orders, 13%

    Maintain and prepare customer orders, give estimates, and prepare files for varying media.

  • Customer Service, 11%

    Increase credibility and client awareness by maintaining up-to-date confidential client files while providing great customer service.

  • Customer Specifications, 8%

    Design signs to customer specifications, email proofs and make adjustments as requested.

  • CAD, 6%

    Input customer information into a customer account database to manage/store their CAD file information.

  • Graphic Design, 5%

    Order entry and graphic design were the pillar duties with employee training and management to follow.

Common skills that a custom designer uses to do their job include "sketch," "customer orders," and "customer service." You can find details on the most important custom designer responsibilities below.

Analytical skills. The most essential soft skill for a custom 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, a custom designer resume shows how their duties depend on analytical skills: "supervised all product development trends and analyze requirements for all products and services for brides. "

Communication skills. Another essential skill to perform custom designer duties is communication skills. Custom designers responsibilities require that "graphic designers must communicate with clients, customers, and other designers to ensure that their designs accurately and effectively convey information." Custom designers also use communication skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "establish communication with customers to determine cake specifications and utilize internet and microsoft word to develop custom designs. "

Computer skills. This is an important skill for custom designers to perform their duties. For an example of how custom designer responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "most graphic designers use specialized graphic design software to prepare their designs." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a custom designer: "use materials such as pens and ink, watercolors, charcoal, oil, or computer software to create artwork. ".

Creativity. custom designer responsibilities often require "creativity." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "graphic designers must be able to think of new approaches to communicating ideas to consumers." This resume example shows what custom designers do with creativity on a typical day: "operated embroidery and screen printing machines * assisted customers with designs * accepted payments * ordered and tracked inventory"

Time-management skills. Another crucial skill for a custom designer to carry out their responsibilities is "time-management skills." A big part of what custom designers relies on this skill, since "graphic designers often work simultaneously on multiple projects, each with a different deadline." How this skill relates to custom designer duties can be seen in an example from a custom designer resume snippet: "followed customer orders through the production process to ensure deadlines were met. "

Most common custom designer skills

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Compare different custom designers

Custom designer vs. Designer and sales associate

Designer and sales associates are employees who create excellent visual works for clients while providing exceptional customer service and product knowledge. To respond to the inquiries of their clients, designer and sales associates must maintain up-to-date product knowledge and selling techniques to further their department sales. They must work with the design and development teams so that they can satisfy the needs of their clients throughout the design process. Designer and sales associates must also follow up on the inquiries of their clients through telephone and email.

The annual salary of designer and sales associates is $22,745 lower than the average salary of custom designers.While their salaries may differ, the common ground between custom designers and designer and sales associates are a few of the skills required in each roleacirc;euro;trade;s responsibilities. In both careers, employee duties involve skills like sketch, customer service, and cad.

These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a custom designer are more likely to require skills like "customer orders," "customer specifications," "visualization," and "graphic design." On the other hand, a job as a designer and sales associate requires skills like "space planning," "retail sales," "phone calls," and "cleanliness." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.

Designer and sales associates tend to make the most money working in the manufacturing industry, where they earn an average salary of $37,031. In contrast, custom designers make the biggest average salary, $65,673, in the retail industry.The education levels that designer and sales associates earn slightly differ from custom designers. In particular, designer and sales associates are 1.4% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a custom designer. Additionally, they're 0.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Custom designer vs. Graphic designer internship

In a graphic design internship, one of the primary responsibilities is to accomplish tasks while under the supervision of more experienced colleagues. An aspiring graphic designer may use this opportunity to observe and participate in designing for various industries, handle different clients, participate in creative meetings, and learn strategies from experts. Furthermore, there may also be technical tasks involving research and analysis, gathering materials, coordinating with vendors, and producing reports and other necessary documentation. They may also be responsible for maintaining a database and responding to calls and inquires.

On average, graphic designer interns earn a $23,430 lower salary than custom designers a year.A few skills overlap for custom designers and graphic designer interns. Resumes from both professions show that the duties of each career rely on skills like "sketch," "graphic design," and "design process. "

While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that custom designer responsibilities requires skills like "customer orders," "customer service," "customer specifications," and "cad." But a graphic designer internship might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "graphic design intern," "blog posts," "adobe illustrator," and "photography."

Graphic designer interns may earn a lower salary than custom designers, but graphic designer interns earn the most pay in the professional industry with an average salary of $41,614. On the other hand, custom designers receive higher pay in the retail industry, where they earn an average salary of $65,673.In general, graphic designer interns achieve similar levels of education than custom designers. They're 3.4% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for custom designers in the next 3-5 years?

Our field is constantly changing and adapting; sometimes it moves so fast you cannot keep up. The areas I see growing are in AR/VR and experiential design.

Custom designer vs. Graphic designer/production

A Graphics Designer in production is the person in charge of designing and interpreting ideas pointed out by the client or the company. The graphics designer must use market standard applications and techniques to produce attention-grabbing designs intended to market a product, service, or company. Graphic designers are an integral part of a company's digital marketing, especially over the internet. The graphic designer must have a good eye for style, typesetting, and the use of colors.

On average, graphic designer/productions earn lower salaries than custom designers, with a $10,611 difference per year.Using the responsibilities included on custom designers and graphic designer/productions resumes, we found that both professions have similar skill requirements, such as "sketch," "graphic design," and "trade shows.rdquo;

The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, custom designers are more likely to have skills like "customer orders," "customer service," "customer specifications," and "cad." But a graphic designer/production is more likely to have skills like "adobe illustrator," "art direction," "signage," and "brochures."

Graphic designer/productions earn the highest salary when working in the technology industry, where they receive an average salary of $59,531. Comparatively, custom designers have the highest earning potential in the retail industry, with an average salary of $65,673.When it comes to education, graphic designer/productions tend to earn similar degree levels compared to custom designers. In fact, they're 2.7% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.2% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Custom designer vs. Graphic designer, marketing

A graphic designer of marketing specializes in developing creative imagery as part of a company's marketing efforts. Their responsibilities typically revolve around coordinating with the marketing team to share insights and strategies, conceptualizing designs in adherence to objectives and deadlines, and preparing presentations. One may also subject designs into various revisions and edits as needed. Furthermore, as a graphic designer, it is also essential to keep abreast of the latest trends and have an understanding of the target audience.

Graphic designers, marketing tend to earn a lower pay than custom designers by an average of $10,467 per year.While their salaries may vary, custom designers and graphic designers, marketing both use similar skills to perform their duties. Resumes from both professions include skills like "sketch," "graphic design," and "adobe creative suite. "

Even though a few skill sets overlap between custom designers and graphic designers, marketing, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a custom designer might have more use for skills like "customer orders," "customer service," "customer specifications," and "cad." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of graphic designers, marketing require skills like "brochures," "blog posts," "flyers," and "in-house. "

The technology industry tends to pay the highest salaries for graphic designers, marketing, with average annual pay of $52,640. Comparatively, the highest custom designer annual salary comes from the retail industry.The average resume of graphic designers, marketing showed that they earn similar levels of education compared to custom designers. So much so that theyacirc;euro;trade;re 1.6% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree by 0.2%.

Types of custom 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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