Arts, design, media and sports
Commercial and industrial designers
Design and develop manufactured products, such as cars, home appliances, and children's toys. Combine artistic talent with research on product use, marketing, and materials to create the most functional and appealing product design.
Median pay
$83,910
Growth to 2035
+2%
about as fast as average
Openings a year
2,800
Time to qualify*
Minimal
* From a bachelor's degree in an unrelated field.
Pay
Commercial and industrial designers
Getting in
- Typical entry education
- Bachelor's degree
- On-the-job training
- None
- Prior experience
- None
Calculate your switch to commercial and industrial designers
What the work is like
Dealing with the public
Unpleasant or angry people
Time pressure
Cost of a mistake
Freedom to make decisions
Repeating the same tasks
Time sitting
Time standing
Commercial and industrial designers: 75% usually work over 40 hours a week
Core tasks
- 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.
- Direct and coordinate the fabrication of models or samples and the drafting of working drawings and specification sheets from sketches.
- Investigate product characteristics such as the product's safety and handling qualities, its market appeal, how efficiently it can be produced, and ways of distributing, using, and maintaining it.
Also called: Design Engineer · Designer · Industrial Designer · Mechanical Designer · Mold Designer · Product Design Engineer · Product Designer · Product Development Engineer
Outlook and AI
Commercial and industrial designers held 35,400 jobs in 2025. BLS projects 36,300 by 2035 (+2%, about as fast as average; all jobs: +3.5%).
Compare with
- Commercial and industrial designers vs. Mechanical drafter
- Commercial and industrial designers vs. Model makers, metal and plastic
- Commercial and industrial designers vs. Fabric and apparel patternmakers
- Commercial and industrial designers vs. Patternmakers, metal and plastic
- Commercial and industrial designers vs. Fashion designer
- Commercial and industrial designers vs. Industrial engineer
- Commercial and industrial designers vs. Layout workers, metal and plastic
- Commercial and industrial designers vs. Mechanical engineering technologists and technicians
- Commercial and industrial designers vs. Materials engineer