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The differences between industrial designers and graphic 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 a graphic designer takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, an industrial designer has an average salary of $63,384, which is higher than the $49,450 average annual salary of a graphic designer.
The top three skills for an industrial designer include industrial design, solidworks and CAD. The most important skills for a graphic designer are adobe creative suite, adobe photoshop, and adobe illustrator.
| Industrial Designer | Graphic Designer | |
| Yearly salary | $63,384 | $49,450 |
| Hourly rate | $30.47 | $23.77 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 54,012 | 45,625 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 83% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Average age | 40 | 38 |
| 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.
Graphic designers are visual communicators who create graphic ideas to deliver a message through art and images which inspire, inform, and motivate consumers with the use of computer software, especially Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign or by hand. They have the ability to design stunning illustrations that are easily understood, even without a lot of thinking or based on the demand of their clients. It is very crucial to them as well to be flexible and to stay on top of the design trends. They create websites, posters, packaging, logos, advertising, and marketing materials, depending on the nature of the business.
Industrial designers and graphic designers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Industrial Designer | Graphic Designer | |
| Average salary | $63,384 | $49,450 |
| Salary range | Between $43,000 And $92,000 | Between $34,000 And $69,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Meta | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between an industrial designer and a graphic designer in terms of educational background:
| Industrial Designer | Graphic Designer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 83% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Most common major | Graphic Design | Graphic Design |
| Most common college | Stanford University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between industrial designers' and graphic designers' demographics:
| Industrial Designer | Graphic Designer | |
| Average age | 40 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 81.4% Female, 18.6% | Male, 49.8% Female, 50.2% |
| 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, 3.4% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 10.6% Asian, 10.4% White, 70.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 13% |