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The differences between senior industrial designers and head 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 senior industrial designer, becoming a head designer takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a head designer has an average salary of $116,986, which is higher than the $74,758 average annual salary of a senior industrial designer.
The top three skills for a senior industrial designer include industrial design, solidworks and CAD. The most important skills for a head designer are product design, UI, and sketch.
| Senior Industrial Designer | Head Designer | |
| Yearly salary | $74,758 | $116,986 |
| Hourly rate | $35.94 | $56.24 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 52,343 | 53,876 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 79% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Average age | 40 | 38 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 12 |
A senior industrial designer specializes in designing and developing ideas into manufactured products. Most of their responsibilities revolve around conducting extensive research and analysis to identify what the product will be and who will use it, conceptualize plans and designs, create sketches and blueprints, utilize software and other tools to come up with virtual models, and present prototypes to clients. They must also develop guidelines and specifications according to the project's requirements. Moreover, as a senior industrial engineer, they must lead and serve as a role model to junior designers, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations.
The Head Designer is the overall command over the creative team's design and the entire company. The heads of the organization look toward the head designer to provide insights into the artistic path the company will take to achieve a unique brand in the market. The head designer is highly-creative, good in management, and can articulate abstract ideas clearly and relay them to company administrators, customers, and clients. A head designer's responsibilities are to handle the creative team, train each member, and provide guidance in every part of the designing process.
Senior industrial designers and head designers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Industrial Designer | Head Designer | |
| Average salary | $74,758 | $116,986 |
| Salary range | Between $46,000 And $121,000 | Between $71,000 And $191,000 |
| Highest paying City | Berkeley, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Airbnb | |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Hospitality |
There are a few differences between a senior industrial designer and a head designer in terms of educational background:
| Senior Industrial Designer | Head Designer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 79% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Most common major | Graphic Design | Graphic Design |
| Most common college | Stanford University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between senior industrial designers' and head designers' demographics:
| Senior Industrial Designer | Head Designer | |
| Average age | 40 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 91.5% Female, 8.5% | Male, 50.1% Female, 49.9% |
| 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, 3.4% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 10.6% Asian, 10.4% White, 70.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 13% |