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The differences between industrial designers and architects can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both an industrial designer and an architect. Additionally, an architect has an average salary of $86,635, which is higher than the $63,384 average annual salary of an industrial designer.
The top three skills for an industrial designer include industrial design, solidworks and CAD. The most important skills for an architect are cloud, java, and infrastructure.
| Industrial Designer | Architect | |
| Yearly salary | $63,384 | $86,635 |
| Hourly rate | $30.47 | $41.65 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 54,012 | 94,621 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 3 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 83% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Average age | 40 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
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.
Architects are licensed professionals who specialize in art and science of design, building constructions, and structures. They play a vital role in the construction and not only responsible for the appearance but also the safety of users. They ensure that every structure is functional, safe, cost-effective, and suit the needs of the future occupants. They closely monitor the working progress to make sure that the project is built according to plan. Some architects are focused mainly on creating designs while some are exclusive in the production of building plans or "blueprints".
Industrial designers and architects have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Industrial Designer | Architect | |
| Average salary | $63,384 | $86,635 |
| Salary range | Between $43,000 And $92,000 | Between $54,000 And $137,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Meta | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between an industrial designer and an architect in terms of educational background:
| Industrial Designer | Architect | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 83% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Most common major | Graphic Design | Architecture |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Cornell University |
Here are the differences between industrial designers' and architects' demographics:
| Industrial Designer | Architect | |
| Average age | 40 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 81.4% Female, 18.6% | Male, 76.7% Female, 23.3% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 2.3% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 11.8% Asian, 16.0% White, 65.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 15% |