Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between kitchen designers and design specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a kitchen designer and a design specialist. Additionally, a design specialist has an average salary of $56,917, which is higher than the $55,942 average annual salary of a kitchen designer.
The top three skills for a kitchen designer include math, laundry room and design projects. The most important skills for a design specialist are customer service, sketch, and CAD.
| Kitchen Designer | Design Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $55,942 | $56,917 |
| Hourly rate | $26.90 | $27.36 |
| Growth rate | 1% | 1% |
| Number of jobs | 56,831 | 68,347 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 49% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A kitchen designer develops and creates designs for kitchen set-ups for clients. They are responsible for installing flooring, equipment, tools, cabinets, and other paraphernalia. They prepare a plan and recommend a timeline for the project. They need to ensure that all the equipment and appliances in the kitchen are functional, efficient, conveniently placed, and cost-effective. Often, a kitchen designer works for restaurants, pastry shops, cafeterias, or even schools and hospitals.
A design specialist is responsible for creating engaging visual images and digital content to improve customers' brand awareness about the organization's products and services. Design specialists may also work for media production, creating graphic animations for viewers depending on production requirements and media demands. A design specialist must have excellent knowledge of utilizing various software tools and programs, coordinating with the whole design team on adjusting plans, improving layouts according to budget limitations, and submitting deliverables within the set deadlines.
Kitchen designers and design specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Kitchen Designer | Design Specialist | |
| Average salary | $55,942 | $56,917 |
| Salary range | Between $33,000 And $92,000 | Between $35,000 And $91,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Menlo Park, CA |
| Highest paying state | Oregon | New York |
| Best paying company | Riverhead Building Supply | BP America Inc |
| Best paying industry | Retail | - |
There are a few differences between a kitchen designer and a design specialist in terms of educational background:
| Kitchen Designer | Design Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 49% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Most common major | Interior Design | Graphic Design |
| Most common college | Cornell University | Cornell University |
Here are the differences between kitchen designers' and design specialists' demographics:
| Kitchen Designer | Design Specialist | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 42.0% Female, 58.0% | Male, 55.1% Female, 44.9% |
| 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, 1.5% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 7.6% Asian, 4.6% White, 82.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 23% | 23% |