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The differences between fashion designers and design technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a fashion designer, becoming a design technician takes usually requires 8-10 years. Additionally, a design technician has an average salary of $62,288, which is higher than the $54,265 average annual salary of a fashion designer.
The top three skills for a fashion designer include fashion design, sketch and apparel. The most important skills for a design technician are revit, civil 3d, and aided design.
| Fashion Designer | Design Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $54,265 | $62,288 |
| Hourly rate | $26.09 | $29.95 |
| Growth rate | 3% | - |
| Number of jobs | 49,476 | 48,394 |
| Job satisfaction | 4 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Associate Degree, 46% |
| Average age | 37 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 10 |
Fashion designers design and assist with the making of shoes, accessories, and clothing. They identify trends and styles, colors, and trims of a clothing collection. The designers keep an eye on travel shows and read fashion magazines to spot trends and interpret specific patterns, color palettes, and prints for each season. They sketch designs by hand, address buyers as a seasoned marketer, and create technical production drawings. It is part of their responsibilities to collaborate with team members to make edits to lines, select seasonal themes, and create new concepts.
A design technician's role revolves around conducting extensive research and analysis to determine a company's needs. The technician will develop system plans and collaborate with fellow technicians and engineers. There are also instances where a design technician has to craft presentations and hand in proposals, revising them when necessary. Furthermore, a design technician must produce progress reports, abide by managers' directions, and adhere to the company's policies and regulations.
Fashion designers and design technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Fashion Designer | Design Technician | |
| Average salary | $54,265 | $62,288 |
| Salary range | Between $37,000 And $78,000 | Between $37,000 And $104,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Nevada | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Ralph Lauren | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Retail | - |
There are a few differences between a fashion designer and a design technician in terms of educational background:
| Fashion Designer | Design Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Associate Degree, 46% |
| Most common major | Graphic Design | Drafting And Design |
| Most common college | Cornell University | Carnegie Mellon University |
Here are the differences between fashion designers' and design technicians' demographics:
| Fashion Designer | Design Technician | |
| Average age | 37 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 17.3% Female, 82.7% | Male, 71.8% Female, 28.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 7.3% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 11.9% Asian, 11.6% White, 63.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.6% Asian, 8.7% White, 59.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 18% | 6% |