Designers, All Other
All designers not listed separately.
What it pays
Designers, All Other earn a median of $31.23/hr — about $65,000 a year. The lowest-paid 10% earn $20.69/hr; the top 10% earn $62.07/hr. (Annual figures are approximate: hourly × 2,080.)
Designers, All Other earn a median of $31.23/hr — about $65,000 a year. The lowest-paid 10% earn $20.69/hr; the top 10% earn $62.07/hr. (Annual figures are approximate: hourly × 2,080.)
What you'd actually do
- Prepare sketches of ideas, detailed drawings, illustrations, artwork, or blueprints, using drafting instruments, paints and brushes, or computer-aided design equipment.
- Modify and refine designs, using working models, to conform with customer specifications, production limitations, or changes in design trends.
- Evaluate feasibility of design ideas, based on factors such as appearance, safety, function, serviceability, budget, production costs/methods, and market characteristics.
- Confer with engineering, marketing, production, or sales departments, or with customers, to establish and evaluate design concepts for manufactured products.
- Present designs and reports to customers or design committees for approval and discuss need for modification.
- Research production specifications, costs, production materials, and manufacturing methods and provide cost estimates and itemized production requirements.
How you get there
Typical entry-level education: Bachelor's degree. Overall preparation: considerable preparation (Job Zone 4 of 5).
The feel of the work
Time pressure is a real part of the job. (Compared against the other 818 careers in the guide.)
Working for yourself
About 66.1% of designers, all other are self-employed.
Who it tends to fit
This work tends to fit people who are creative, hands-on and take-charge.
Work a simulated shift in this job — freeMake the real decisions this job involves, then see what your choices say about you.Related careers
- Graphic Designers
- Interior Designers
- Public Relations Specialists
- Writers and Authors
- Editors
- Commercial and Industrial Designers
Quick questions
- How much does a designers, all other make?
- The median pay is $31.23 per hour — roughly $65,000 a year, with the real range running from about $20.69/hr (10th percentile) to $62.07/hr (90th percentile). Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- Do you need a degree to be a designers, all other?
- The typical entry-level education is: Bachelor's degree. Overall preparation level: considerable preparation (Job Zone 4 of 5).
- What does a designers, all other actually do all day?
- Prepare sketches of ideas, detailed drawings, illustrations, artwork, or blueprints, using drafting instruments, paints and brushes, or computer-aided design equipment. Modify and refine designs, using working models, to conform with customer specifications, production limitations, or changes in design trends. Evaluate feasibility of design ideas, based on factors such as appearance, safety, function, serviceability, budget, production costs/methods, and market characteristics.
Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS. Tasks & interests: O*NET. Career pathways shown in the app are draft archetypes — verify before relying on them. Trailhead is a free career guide for students — honest numbers, no hype.
Trailhead is operated by FLEXVermont LLC. It is intended for high-school students age 13 and older, and the educators and families who support them, and is not directed to children under 13. Trailhead is provided for general informational and educational purposes only. It does not offer professional, financial, or career advice, and its wage figures and pathways are estimates that may not fit your situation — they should not be relied on as the sole basis for any decision.
Trailhead is operated by FLEXVermont LLC. It is intended for high-school students age 13 and older, and the educators and families who support them, and is not directed to children under 13. Trailhead is provided for general informational and educational purposes only. It does not offer professional, financial, or career advice, and its wage figures and pathways are estimates that may not fit your situation — they should not be relied on as the sole basis for any decision.