Arts & Media27-1021.00Specialization

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.

$76,250
Median Pay
4-6 years
Training
🟑
AI-Augmented

This is a specialization of

Artists & Designers

Career Overview Video

AI Impact Assessment

AI Resilience Score

Score 3/6: balanced factors means AI will assist but humans remain essential

🟑AI-Augmented

How we calculated this:

AI Exposure
Medium+1

47% of tasks can be accelerated by AI

Job Growth
Stable+1

+3% projected (2024-2034)

Human Advantage
Moderate+1

EPOCH score: 16/25

Total Score3/6
Methodology: v2.0 - GPTs are GPTs / BLS / EPOCH Additive ScoringUpdated: 2026-01-09

Key Responsibilities

  • 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.
  • Develop manufacturing procedures and monitor the manufacture of their designs in a factory to improve operations and product quality.
  • Participate in new product planning or market research, including studying the potential need for new products.

Education & Training

Typical Entry Education

Bachelor's degree

Time to Job Ready

4-6 years

Based on Job Zone 4. For formal education duration only, see education_duration.

Technology Skills

CAD software (SolidWorks, Rhino)Adobe Creative Suite3D rendering softwarePrototyping toolsMicrosoft OfficeProduct lifecycle management3D printing software

Key Abilities

Fluency of IdeasOriginalityNear VisionOral ComprehensionWritten ComprehensionOral ExpressionDeductive ReasoningVisualizationProblem SensitivityInformation Ordering

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Find jobs and training programs for commercial and industrial designers- Median salary: $76K/year

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Compensation Details

$46,530
10th Percentile
$76,250
Median
$126,010
90th Percentile

Based on 30,810 employed workers

Also Known As

Art Glass DesignerAutomobile DesignerBank Note DesignerBicycle DesignerBike DesignerBoat DesignerBody StylistCar Body DesignerCeramic DesignerCeramic Mold Designer

Data from O*NET 30.1 and BLS Occupational Employment Statistics

O*NET Code: 27-1021.00