How To Become A Design Manager: What It Is and Career Path

What is a design manager and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted expert

Abby Guido

Your boss sees a new product launched by the company and finds it very satisfying, but does he/she know who designed it? It is you, the design manager. Besides conducting successful meetings with new clients, you have to use your artistic nature to bring smart innovations to the market. No one is more creative and innovative than the design manager in the company. You are the root cause of the success of any new project. On average, you can earn up to $46.72 per hour, while working full office hours.

Usually, a bachelor's degree is a must for design managers. Suppose you can show some creativity to a company. In that case, you are good to go as you'll give lots of presentations to provide insight into your ideas. It is essential for you to have a firm grip on various design and presentation software.

For any company, clients are their most valuable assets. You can make healthy relationships between the company and the clients and prove yourself to be very beneficial for the company. So many new customers can be made, courtesy of your new ideas implemented in the products. Behind every successful product, there is the talented hand of the design manager. You have the capability to take your company to new heights of success.

What general advice would you give to a design manager?

Abby Guido

Assistant Professor, Tyler School of Art and Architecture, Temple University

We've all heard the buzz about networking, and there is so much buzz because it works. Make sure your LinkedIn profile is both up to date and active. Connect with all of your past professors, classmates, and anyone and everyone you meet in a professional setting. I often tell students to get into the habit of searching for any classroom guests, or guest lecturers, to connect, thank them for their time, and build their network. Share content. Write articles, or reshare those you find interesting.

Every job I have ever received in my career has been through someone else I know. I share this with students to help them see the value in relationships. I always remember the students that took the time to write a handwritten thank-you note. And I think of them when I get an email asking if I know any students are looking for work.

ScoreDesign ManagerUS Average

Salary

7.7

Avg. Salary $102,637

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.4

Growth rate 2%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

1.6

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.16%

Asian 11.77%

Black or African American 3.09%

Hispanic or Latino 8.83%

Unknown 4.67%

White 71.48%

Gender

female 36.20%

male 63.80%

Age - 48

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 48

Stress level

7.4

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

10.0

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

3.5

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a design manager

Explore design manager education requirements

Most common design manager degrees

Bachelor's

62.5 %

Associate

20.5 %

Master's

10.0 %

Start to develop specific design manager skills

Skills	Percentages
Sketch	7.83%
Project Management	7.76%
Visualization	5.14%
User Experience	3.88%
PowerPoint	3.78%

Complete relevant design manager training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New design managers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a design manager based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real design manager resumes.

Research design manager duties and responsibilities

Help achieve status of medical device manufacturer through the FDA.
Manage several consultants preparing contract documents on the various NYC let and NYS let projects.
Manage and collaborate with ASIC library/memory vendors.
Manage design, tooling, equipment implementations and process improvements for foundry/machining metalworking manufacturer of automotive OEM products.

Prepare your design manager resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your design manager resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a design manager resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable design manager resume templates

Build a professional design manager resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your design manager resume.