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The differences between product designers and tool designers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a product designer, becoming a tool designer takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a product designer has an average salary of $102,033, which is higher than the $64,763 average annual salary of a tool designer.
The top three skills for a product designer include sketch, visual design and UI. The most important skills for a tool designer are jigs, assembly fixtures, and aerospace.
| Product Designer | Tool Designer | |
| Yearly salary | $102,033 | $64,763 |
| Hourly rate | $49.05 | $31.14 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 1% |
| Number of jobs | 98,465 | 51,666 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Associate Degree, 48% |
| Average age | 40 | 54 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 6 |
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.
A tool designer is an expert who works to engineer a new equipment's initial design used in industrial manufacturing. Tool designers design machine cutting tools like drills, broaches, and milling-machine cutters. They apply geometric and algebraic formulas along with standard tool engineering data for tool configuration development. Also, they modify tool designs based on production service data or trial for tool life performance and life improvement.
Product designers and tool designers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Product Designer | Tool Designer | |
| Average salary | $102,033 | $64,763 |
| Salary range | Between $68,000 And $152,000 | Between $47,000 And $87,000 |
| Highest paying City | Sacramento, CA | San Jose, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | California |
| Best paying company | Netflix | Entegris |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a product designer and a tool designer in terms of educational background:
| Product Designer | Tool Designer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Associate Degree, 48% |
| Most common major | Graphic Design | Drafting And Design |
| Most common college | Carnegie Mellon University | - |
Here are the differences between product designers' and tool designers' demographics:
| Product Designer | Tool Designer | |
| Average age | 40 | 54 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 74.2% Female, 25.8% | Male, 92.9% Female, 7.1% |
| 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, 2.5% Unknown, 2.8% Hispanic or Latino, 6.6% Asian, 2.7% White, 84.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 3% |