Interior design director vs design director

The differences between interior design directors and design directors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become an interior design director, becoming a design director takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a design director has an average salary of $132,823, which is higher than the $88,458 average annual salary of an interior design director.

The top three skills for an interior design director include design concepts, photoshop and business development. The most important skills for a design director are sketch, human centered design, and product design.

Interior design director vs design director overview

	Interior Design Director	Design Director
Yearly salary	$88,458	$132,823
Hourly rate	$42.53	$63.86
Growth rate	1%	3%
Number of jobs	43,103	48,337
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 71%	Bachelor's Degree, 73%
Average age	42	38
Years of experience	4	12

Interior design director vs design director salary

Interior design directors and design directors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Interior Design Director	Design Director
Average salary	$88,458	$132,823
Salary range	Between $54,000 And $143,000	Between $82,000 And $212,000
Highest paying City	-	Seattle, WA
Highest paying state	-	Washington
Best paying company	-	Proenza Schouler
Best paying industry	-	Manufacturing

Differences between interior design director and design director education

There are a few differences between an interior design director and a design director in terms of educational background:

	Interior Design Director	Design Director
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 71%	Bachelor's Degree, 73%
Most common major	Interior Design	Graphic Design
Most common college	Cornell University	University of Pennsylvania

Interior design director vs design director demographics

Here are the differences between interior design directors' and design directors' demographics:

	Interior Design Director	Design Director
Average age	42	38
Gender ratio	Male, 30.2% Female, 69.8%	Male, 60.0% Female, 40.0%
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, 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	23%	13%

Differences between interior design director and design director duties and responsibilities

Interior design director example responsibilities.

Manage the schematic phase and generate all the necessary documents to be submit to the structural and MEP consultants.
Work include a broad portfolio of corporate, healthcare, institutional and educational projects.
Establish architecture process allowing architecture evolution through contributions
Design and draft compression and transfer rubber molds and steel rule dies in SolidWorks.
Establish innovative and collaborative mechanical designs and component parts of equipment while using AutoCAD and SolidWorks simultaneously.
Establish architecture process allowing architecture evolution through contributions

Design director example responsibilities.

Delegate and manage technical and cad team; fittings; and associate designers.
Manage and grow brand s social media outlets; Facebook, twitter and Instagram.
Manage product backlog and lead agile team in shipping SaaS products from ideation to delivery.
Design, manage, and execute development of all products, from concept sketch through production.
Manage the creation and implementation of new design tools, and modifications to the RF design specifications.
Manage REVIT models for various BIM projects including updating, cleaning, and linking arch models for MEP design.

Interior design director vs design director skills

Common interior design director skills

Design Concepts, 20%
Photoshop, 17%
Business Development, 10%
Design Process, 9%
Leed, 8%
Space Planning, 7%

Common design director skills

Sketch, 12%
Human Centered Design, 8%
Product Design, 6%
User Experience, 5%
Architecture, 5%
UI, 4%

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Interior Design Director
Interior Design Director vs Design Director

Updated January 8, 2025

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