Post job

Draftsman/designer vs architectural designer

The differences between draftsman/designers and architectural 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 draftsman/designer and an architectural designer. Additionally, an architectural designer has an average salary of $59,122, which is higher than the $52,529 average annual salary of a draftsman/designer.

The top three skills for a draftsman/designer include design layouts, solidworks and shop drawings. The most important skills for an architectural designer are sketch, sketchup, and BIM.

Draftsman/designer vs architectural designer overview

Draftsman/DesignerArchitectural Designer
Yearly salary$52,529$59,122
Hourly rate$25.25$28.42
Growth rate-3%-3%
Number of jobs47,34154,358
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeAssociate Degree, 51%Bachelor's Degree, 62%
Average age4545
Years of experience1212

Draftsman/designer vs architectural designer salary

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

Draftsman/DesignerArchitectural Designer
Average salary$52,529$59,122
Salary rangeBetween $30,000 And $89,000Between $45,000 And $77,000
Highest paying CityWashington, DCWashington, DC
Highest paying stateNew JerseyVermont
Best paying companyTalentBurstApple
Best paying industryTechnologyProfessional

Differences between draftsman/designer and architectural designer education

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

Draftsman/DesignerArchitectural Designer
Most common degreeAssociate Degree, 51%Bachelor's Degree, 62%
Most common majorDrafting And DesignArchitecture
Most common collegeCarnegie Mellon UniversityMassachusetts Institute of Technology

Draftsman/designer vs architectural designer demographics

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

Draftsman/DesignerArchitectural Designer
Average age4545
Gender ratioMale, 92.2% Female, 7.8%Male, 70.1% Female, 29.9%
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 draftsman/designer and architectural designer duties and responsibilities

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.
  • Show more

Architectural designer example responsibilities.

  • Manage in- house projects and AutoCAD drawings.
  • Manage design and coordinate construction of grind up, interior finish, conversions and remodel projects.
  • Lead the development of BIM modeling content for the architecture team as a direct report to the executive and lead architects.
  • Submit drawings to OSHPD for approval.
  • Submit & review OSHPD back check comments.
  • Participate in sustainable practices for leer certified projects.
  • Show more

Draftsman/designer vs architectural designer skills

Common draftsman/designer skills
  • Design Layouts, 16%
  • Solidworks, 10%
  • Shop Drawings, 5%
  • R, 4%
  • HVAC, 4%
  • Customer Specifications, 3%
Common architectural designer skills
  • Sketch, 15%
  • SketchUp, 7%
  • BIM, 6%
  • Architectural Design, 6%
  • Building Codes, 5%
  • Construction Drawings, 4%

Browse architecture and engineering jobs