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Owner & designer vs interior designer

The differences between owner & designers and interior designers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become an owner & designer, becoming an interior designer takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, an interior designer has an average salary of $52,482, which is higher than the $48,688 average annual salary of an owner & designer.

The top three skills for an owner & designer include customer service, graphic design and website design. The most important skills for an interior designer are revit, space planning, and sketch.

Owner & designer vs interior designer overview

Owner & DesignerInterior Designer
Yearly salary$48,688$52,482
Hourly rate$23.41$25.23
Growth rate3%1%
Number of jobs91,49048,020
Job satisfaction-5
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 63%Bachelor's Degree, 69%
Average age3842
Years of experience124

What does an owner & designer do?

Owners/designers are responsible for the overall creation of their designs, including the marketing campaigns to boost their brand image, and hiring people to help them execute the production for desired results. They also reach out to potential clients to offer their services, negotiate contract terms and payments, and work within the clients' specifications and timeframe. Owners/designers must have excellent communication and leadership skills, especially on enforcing critical business decisions that would define the owner's strategies and market performance.

What does an interior designer do?

An interior designer helps people decorate their rooms and spaces, creating the most functional and beautiful area as possible. They sit with clients to plan desired goals, visualize the space's functions, and sketch the design plan. Then, they pick and order materials and furnishings needed for the project. Additionally, they create a project timeline, estimate cost, and supervise the construction and installation. They follow-up with clients to guarantee their satisfaction once the project is completed. Interior designers should have an understanding of building and construction as well as public safety and security. They must be flexible in their time since they work to meet client needs.

Owner & designer vs interior designer salary

Owner & designers and interior designers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Owner & DesignerInterior Designer
Average salary$48,688$52,482
Salary rangeBetween $32,000 And $72,000Between $35,000 And $78,000
Highest paying City-Sacramento, CA
Highest paying state-North Dakota
Best paying company-German International School New York
Best paying industry-Construction

Differences between owner & designer and interior designer education

There are a few differences between an owner & designer and an interior designer in terms of educational background:

Owner & DesignerInterior Designer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 63%Bachelor's Degree, 69%
Most common majorGraphic DesignInterior Design
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaCornell University

Owner & designer vs interior designer demographics

Here are the differences between owner & designers' and interior designers' demographics:

Owner & DesignerInterior Designer
Average age3842
Gender ratioMale, 36.1% Female, 63.9%Male, 21.0% Female, 79.0%
Race ratioBlack 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%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 Percentage13%23%

Differences between owner & designer and interior designer duties and responsibilities

Owner & designer example responsibilities.

  • Manage production in NYC and overseas.
  • Manage purchase orders, estimates, invoices, and all financial bookkeeping in QuickBooks software, including quarterly sales tax.
  • Update and maintain a local church youth group's website using HTML and CSS.
  • Design and maintain a local artist's web gallery using HTML, CSS, and a third-party shopping cart system.
  • Develop backend using PHP and MySQL
  • Define and implement CSS across web pages.
  • Show more

Interior designer example responsibilities.

  • Establish and manage firm's account on NYC DOB website; fulfill office duties and manage office.
  • Lead the development of BIM modeling content for the architecture team as a direct report to the executive and lead architects.
  • Project management, interior design, transition planning, and furniture specification for military healthcare projects.
  • Participate on leer certified projects.
  • Put together client invoices in QuickBooks.
  • Design email using HTML and inline CSS/CSS3.
  • Show more

Owner & designer vs interior designer skills

Common owner & designer skills
  • Customer Service, 24%
  • Graphic Design, 7%
  • Website Design, 5%
  • Jewelry, 5%
  • Art Shows, 5%
  • Photography, 5%
Common interior designer skills
  • Revit, 12%
  • Space Planning, 8%
  • Sketch, 6%
  • Design Concepts, 6%
  • Customer Service, 6%
  • FF, 5%

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