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The differences between industrial designers and senior industrial designers 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 a senior industrial designer. Additionally, a senior industrial designer has an average salary of $74,758, 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 a senior industrial designer are industrial design, solidworks, and CAD.
| Industrial Designer | Senior Industrial Designer | |
| Yearly salary | $63,384 | $74,758 |
| Hourly rate | $30.47 | $35.94 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 54,012 | 52,343 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 83% | Bachelor's Degree, 79% |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| 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.
A senior industrial designer specializes in designing and developing ideas into manufactured products. Most of their responsibilities revolve around conducting extensive research and analysis to identify what the product will be and who will use it, conceptualize plans and designs, create sketches and blueprints, utilize software and other tools to come up with virtual models, and present prototypes to clients. They must also develop guidelines and specifications according to the project's requirements. Moreover, as a senior industrial engineer, they must lead and serve as a role model to junior designers, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations.
Industrial designers and senior industrial designers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Industrial Designer | Senior Industrial Designer | |
| Average salary | $63,384 | $74,758 |
| Salary range | Between $43,000 And $92,000 | Between $46,000 And $121,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Berkeley, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between an industrial designer and a senior industrial designer in terms of educational background:
| Industrial Designer | Senior Industrial Designer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 83% | Bachelor's Degree, 79% |
| Most common major | Graphic Design | Graphic Design |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between industrial designers' and senior industrial designers' demographics:
| Industrial Designer | Senior Industrial Designer | |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 81.4% Female, 18.6% | Male, 91.5% Female, 8.5% |
| 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, 1.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.3% Asian, 10.1% White, 76.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |