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The differences between product designers and 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 a product designer and an industrial designer. Additionally, a product designer has an average salary of $102,033, which is higher than the $63,384 average annual salary of an industrial designer.
The top three skills for a product designer include sketch, visual design and UI. The most important skills for an industrial designer are industrial design, solidworks, and CAD.
| Product Designer | Industrial Designer | |
| Yearly salary | $102,033 | $63,384 |
| Hourly rate | $49.05 | $30.47 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 98,465 | 54,012 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 83% |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A product designer's key responsibilities are to perform design research, selecting the best materials, and develop user storyboards for the client and users' best interest. Product designers usually work with a whole design team, documenting suggestions to deliver high-quality outputs or improve existing products to match the market trends. They must also communicate with other skilled professionals to enhance their ideas and consult clients for any necessary adjustments that would affect the total user experience. A product designer should also have extensive knowledge of the consumer's preference to make the design more appealing and engaging.
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.
Product designers and industrial designers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Product Designer | Industrial Designer | |
| Average salary | $102,033 | $63,384 |
| Salary range | Between $68,000 And $152,000 | Between $43,000 And $92,000 |
| Highest paying City | Sacramento, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Washington |
| Best paying company | Netflix | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a product designer and an industrial designer in terms of educational background:
| Product Designer | Industrial Designer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 83% |
| Most common major | Graphic Design | Graphic Design |
| Most common college | Carnegie Mellon University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between product designers' and industrial designers' demographics:
| Product Designer | Industrial Designer | |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 74.2% Female, 25.8% | Male, 81.4% Female, 18.6% |
| 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% |