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Creative & Media

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 salary (BLS)

$83,910

10th–90th percentile (BLS)

$53k – $140k

Job outlook

+3% (about average)

AI exposure

Early-career check: graduates of the matching programs below typically earn $91,000 ten years after starting college — an early-career figure, vs. the all-experience BLS median above. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard.

Plan a path to Commercial and Industrial Designers

Qualification costsStack incomeBest cities/statesSchool ROIJob-posting fitTailored resume

Education

Typical entry: Bachelor's degree

Plan my path to this →

Typical progression

  1. Commercial and Industrial Designers Intern

    Internship

    $36,000

    ~4 mos to advance

  2. Junior Commercial and Industrial Designers

    Entry / Junior

    $53,460

    ~2 yrs to advance

  3. Commercial and Industrial Designers

    Established

    $83,910

    ~3 yrs to advance

  4. Senior Commercial and Industrial Designers

    Senior

    $111,840

Internships are a common on-ramp here — they speed up landing that first role and improve your odds, which is why the Safe and High-ceiling plans build one in.

Key skills

A typical 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.
  • •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.

Fields of study

Any field

Top colleges for Creative & Media

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Reputation-based selection; stats shown are outcome data per school.