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The differences between home designers and design specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a home designer and a design specialist. Additionally, a home designer has an average salary of $66,541, which is higher than the $56,917 average annual salary of a design specialist.
The top three skills for a home designer include in-home, customer service and design solutions. The most important skills for a design specialist are customer service, sketch, and CAD.
| Home Designer | Design Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $66,541 | $56,917 |
| Hourly rate | $31.99 | $27.36 |
| Growth rate | 1% | 1% |
| Number of jobs | 86,223 | 68,347 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A home designer is responsible for executing creative designs for house furnishing according to clients' requirements and specifications. Home designers assess the clients' best interests to make decisions about layouts and structure. They also select the best materials and equipment that go along with the house's designs, customizing decors, and emphasize the elements of the residential space. A home designer must have excellent communication and organizational skills, especially in creating cost and expenses reports for the client's preference.
A design specialist is responsible for creating engaging visual images and digital content to improve customers' brand awareness about the organization's products and services. Design specialists may also work for media production, creating graphic animations for viewers depending on production requirements and media demands. A design specialist must have excellent knowledge of utilizing various software tools and programs, coordinating with the whole design team on adjusting plans, improving layouts according to budget limitations, and submitting deliverables within the set deadlines.
Home designers and design specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Home Designer | Design Specialist | |
| Average salary | $66,541 | $56,917 |
| Salary range | Between $38,000 And $114,000 | Between $35,000 And $91,000 |
| Highest paying City | Alameda, CA | Menlo Park, CA |
| Highest paying state | Oregon | New York |
| Best paying company | Best Buy | BP America Inc |
| Best paying industry | Retail | - |
There are a few differences between a home designer and a design specialist in terms of educational background:
| Home Designer | Design Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Most common major | Interior Design | Graphic Design |
| Most common college | Cornell University | Cornell University |
Here are the differences between home designers' and design specialists' demographics:
| Home Designer | Design Specialist | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 53.6% Female, 46.4% | Male, 55.1% Female, 44.9% |
| Race ratio | 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% | 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 Percentage | 23% | 23% |