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The differences between designers and industrial designers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become a designer, becoming an industrial designer takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a designer has an average salary of $66,347, which is higher than the $63,384 average annual salary of an industrial designer.
The top three skills for a designer include sketch, customer service and graphic design. The most important skills for an industrial designer are industrial design, solidworks, and CAD.
| Designer | Industrial Designer | |
| Yearly salary | $66,347 | $63,384 |
| Hourly rate | $31.90 | $30.47 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 52,433 | 54,012 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 83% |
| Average age | 38 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 4 |
A designer is someone who creates a master plan of the look or workings of something before it will be made. It could be tangible or intangible objects, products, procedures, laws, events, games, graphics, services, and even experiences. Designers are creative thinkers with a great eye to configure the skeletal and structural properties of the targeted output. They work in several fields, such as fashion, architecture, web graphics, and user experience. In spite of the variety of professionals in the design industry, all of them are artistic, passionate, inspiring, and emotionally connected to their projects and brands.
Industrial Designers work with clients to conceptualize product ideas. They collaborate with clients in creating product blueprints, samples, and mock-ups. Industrial Designers create drafts based on the clients' ideas, keeping in mind the different requirements as well as aesthetic qualities that the clients envision. They usually specialize in a specific product category such as toys, furniture, and cars, among others. Industrial Designers also collaborate with other professionals such as manufacturers, materials experts, safety experts, and other product makers to ensure the feasibility and the product safety of the concepts they come up with.
Designers and industrial designers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Designer | Industrial Designer | |
| Average salary | $66,347 | $63,384 |
| Salary range | Between $45,000 And $97,000 | Between $43,000 And $92,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Washington |
| Best paying company | Meta | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a designer and an industrial designer in terms of educational background:
| Designer | Industrial Designer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 83% |
| Most common major | Graphic Design | Graphic Design |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between designers' and industrial designers' demographics:
| Designer | Industrial Designer | |
| Average age | 38 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 56.9% Female, 43.1% | Male, 81.4% Female, 18.6% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 1.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.3% Asian, 10.1% White, 76.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 13% | 8% |