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The differences between industrial designers and architectural designers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become an industrial designer, becoming an architectural designer takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, an industrial designer has an average salary of $63,384, which is higher than the $59,122 average annual salary of an architectural designer.
The top three skills for an industrial designer include industrial design, solidworks and CAD. The most important skills for an architectural designer are sketch, sketchup, and BIM.
| Industrial Designer | Architectural Designer | |
| Yearly salary | $63,384 | $59,122 |
| Hourly rate | $30.47 | $28.42 |
| Growth rate | 3% | -3% |
| Number of jobs | 54,012 | 54,358 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 83% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Average age | 40 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 12 |
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.
An Architectural Designer is specialized in planning and designing structures/urban landscapes. They ensure that company policies and standards are maintained when providing services to clients.
Industrial designers and architectural designers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Industrial Designer | Architectural Designer | |
| Average salary | $63,384 | $59,122 |
| Salary range | Between $43,000 And $92,000 | Between $45,000 And $77,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Vermont |
| Best paying company | Meta | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Professional |
There are a few differences between an industrial designer and an architectural designer in terms of educational background:
| Industrial Designer | Architectural Designer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 83% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Most common major | Graphic Design | Architecture |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between industrial designers' and architectural designers' demographics:
| Industrial Designer | Architectural Designer | |
| Average age | 40 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 81.4% Female, 18.6% | Male, 70.1% Female, 29.9% |
| 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, 3.1% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 11.7% Asian, 7.0% White, 72.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 6% |