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The differences between senior designers and industrial designers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become a senior designer, becoming an industrial designer takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a senior designer has an average salary of $102,058, which is higher than the $63,384 average annual salary of an industrial designer.
The top three skills for a senior designer include sketch, graphic design and human centered design. The most important skills for an industrial designer are industrial design, solidworks, and CAD.
| Senior Designer | Industrial Designer | |
| Yearly salary | $102,058 | $63,384 |
| Hourly rate | $49.07 | $30.47 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 47,503 | 54,012 |
| Job satisfaction | 1 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 83% |
| Average age | 38 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 4 |
Senior designers are typically in charge of realizing design solutions that adhere to the business goals and marketing strategies of an organization. They should be comfortable managing graphics designers and making decisions. They must have extensive knowledge of styles, layout techniques, and graphic design while also managing projects and people effectively. Senior designers have a variety of duties, which include delegating tasks to junior designers, maintaining high-quality standards, and collaborating to improve digital creativity standards.
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.
Senior designers and industrial designers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Designer | Industrial Designer | |
| Average salary | $102,058 | $63,384 |
| Salary range | Between $72,000 And $143,000 | Between $43,000 And $92,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Washington |
| Best paying company | Lyft | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Media | Technology |
There are a few differences between a senior designer and an industrial designer in terms of educational background:
| Senior Designer | Industrial Designer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 83% |
| Most common major | Graphic Design | Graphic Design |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between senior designers' and industrial designers' demographics:
| Senior Designer | Industrial Designer | |
| Average age | 38 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 71.0% Female, 29.0% | Male, 81.4% Female, 18.6% |
| Race ratio | 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% | 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 | 13% | 8% |