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Exterior designer vs commercial interior designer

The differences between exterior designers and commercial interior designers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both an exterior designer and a commercial interior designer. Additionally, an exterior designer has an average salary of $93,819, which is higher than the $51,844 average annual salary of a commercial interior designer.

The top three skills for an exterior designer include CAD, design concepts and photoshop. The most important skills for a commercial interior designer are revit, sketch, and space planning.

Exterior designer vs commercial interior designer overview

Exterior DesignerCommercial Interior Designer
Yearly salary$93,819$51,844
Hourly rate$45.11$24.93
Growth rate-1%
Number of jobs43,80774,082
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 61%Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Average age4442
Years of experience44

Exterior designer vs commercial interior designer salary

Exterior designers and commercial interior designers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Exterior DesignerCommercial Interior Designer
Average salary$93,819$51,844
Salary rangeBetween $58,000 And $150,000Between $35,000 And $75,000
Highest paying CitySacramento, CASeattle, WA
Highest paying stateCaliforniaNorth Dakota
Best paying companyTeslaFlorida Power & Light
Best paying industryAutomotiveAutomotive

Differences between exterior designer and commercial interior designer education

There are a few differences between an exterior designer and a commercial interior designer in terms of educational background:

Exterior DesignerCommercial Interior Designer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 61%Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Most common majorBusinessInterior Design
Most common collegeCornell UniversityCornell University

Exterior designer vs commercial interior designer demographics

Here are the differences between exterior designers' and commercial interior designers' demographics:

Exterior DesignerCommercial Interior Designer
Average age4442
Gender ratioMale, 72.1% Female, 27.9%Male, 30.6% Female, 69.4%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 0.4% Unknown, 3.4% Hispanic or Latino, 5.8% Asian, 5.2% White, 85.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%Black or African American, 1.5% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 7.6% Asian, 4.6% White, 82.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%
LGBT Percentage13%23%

Differences between exterior designer and commercial interior designer duties and responsibilities

Exterior designer example responsibilities.

  • Develop customized user interaction models using object-orient prototyping.
  • Issue mass production drawings for various parts and vehicles.
  • Assist with cost and weight reports for the Acura MDX.
  • Create structural concepts, base on style data and underbody negotiation, and develop them into mass production parts.
  • Optimize production processes reducing unnecessary part cost without losing functionality and performance by designing new shapes or alterations for manufacturing.

Commercial interior designer example responsibilities.

  • Lead the development of BIM modeling content for the architecture team as a direct report to the executive and lead architects.
  • Perform production functions: drafting, documentation and 3-D Revit renderings.
  • Implement the use of social media and play a vital role in the transition from AutoCad to Revit.
  • Design, modele and render graphically intensive exteriors and interior environments and animations utilizing the latest in visualization technology.
  • Demonstrate knowledge of product by creating PowerPoint presentations for clients introducing product lines such as furniture and lighting.
  • Design and develop project-based graphics including logos, illustrations, diagrams, and content-supporting imagery as needed.

Exterior designer vs commercial interior designer skills

Common exterior designer skills
  • CAD, 51%
  • Design Concepts, 28%
  • Photoshop, 17%
  • Design Presentations, 4%
Common commercial interior designer skills
  • Revit, 22%
  • Sketch, 11%
  • Space Planning, 8%
  • Design Concepts, 6%
  • Auto CAD, 6%
  • Design Development, 5%

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