Industrial Designer job description: duties, skills and qualifications.

Core duties

12

O*NET task statements

O*NET occupation

Commercial and Industrial Designers

O*NET-SOC 27-1021.00

Preparation

Job Zone 4 of 5

considerable preparation

Typical entry education

Bachelor's degree

BLS 2025–35

Median pay

$83,910

BLS May 2025

Data Government data groups this job as Commercial and Industrial Designers (O*NET-SOC 27-1021.00). O*NET 31.0 lists “Industrial Designer” as a job title for this occupation only (evidence: O*NET's Sample of Reported Titles (titles job holders report), O*NET job-incumbent data, the U.S. Employment and Training Administration and employer job postings). Figures on this page are for that occupation. TryHired has no separate career page for this title yet.

1. Prepare sketches of ideas, detailed drawings, illustrations, artwork, or blueprints, using drafting instruments, paints and brushes, or computer-aided design equipment. importance 4.4 of 5
2. Modify and refine designs, using working models, to conform with customer specifications, production limitations, or changes in design trends. importance 4.3 of 5
3. Evaluate feasibility of design ideas, based on factors such as appearance, safety, function, serviceability, budget, production costs/methods, and market characteristics. importance 4.1 of 5
4. Confer with engineering, marketing, production, or sales departments, or with customers, to establish and evaluate design concepts for manufactured products. importance 4.0 of 5
5. Present designs and reports to customers or design committees for approval and discuss need for modification. importance 4.0 of 5
6. Research production specifications, costs, production materials, and manufacturing methods and provide cost estimates and itemized production requirements. importance 3.7 of 5
7. Direct and coordinate the fabrication of models or samples and the drafting of working drawings and specification sheets from sketches. importance 3.5 of 5
8. 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. importance 3.4 of 5
9. Develop manufacturing procedures and monitor the manufacture of their designs in a factory to improve operations and product quality. importance 3.4 of 5
10. Participate in new product planning or market research, including studying the potential need for new products. importance 3.3 of 5
11. Read publications, attend showings, and study competing products and design styles and motifs to obtain perspective and generate design concepts. importance 3.1 of 5
12. Fabricate models or samples in paper, wood, glass, fabric, plastic, metal, or other materials, using hand or power tools. importance 3.0 of 5

Work activities O*NET rates most important here: Drafting, Laying Out, and Specifying Technical Devices, Parts, and Equipment, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Working with Computers, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates and Getting Information.

Also part of the job

Supplemental tasks O*NET lists for this occupation: less central than the core duties above, and not done in every job.

• Develop industrial standards and regulatory guidelines.
• Coordinate the look and function of product lines.
• Supervise assistants' work throughout the design process.
• Design graphic material for use as ornamentation, illustration, or advertising on manufactured materials and packaging or containers.
• Advise corporations on issues involving corporate image projects or problems.

Knowledge areas: Design, Engineering and Technology, Production and Processing, Mechanical and Computers and Electronics.

Software O*NET lists for this occupation: Adobe Creative Cloud software, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, Dassault Systemes SolidWorks, Figma, Microsoft Excel. These are examples O*NET records for the job, not a list of tools every employer uses or a checklist of what you must know.

• Education: BLS lists a bachelor's degree as the typical entry-level education.
• Experience: BLS lists no work experience in a related occupation as typical to enter.
• Training on the job: BLS lists no typical on-the-job training once hired.
• Preparation: O*NET places the job in Job Zone 4 of 5 (considerable preparation). A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations.
• Licenses and certifications: not listed here. A license is a legal requirement set by a state; a certification is a credential from a private or professional body. Rules vary by state and employer, and a missing entry on this page does not mean none is required: check with your state's licensing board.

Most industrial designers surveyed by O*NET (68%) name a bachelor's degree as the education the job requires.

Job title: Industrial Designer
[Company] · [City, State] · [Full-time or part-time] · [Pay range, where your state requires one]

About the role
[Company] is hiring an Industrial Designer to design and develop manufactured products, such as cars, home appliances, and children's toys.
[One sentence on your team and why this role matters.]

What you will 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.
- 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.

What we are looking for
- [Education: BLS lists a bachelor's degree as typical for this occupation; set the level this role truly needs]
- [Experience: BLS lists no related work experience as typical to enter; set what this role needs]
- Strength in active listening, reading comprehension and complex problem solving
- Working knowledge of Design and Engineering and Technology
- [Software your team uses, e.g. Adobe Creative Cloud software or Adobe Illustrator]
- [Any license or certification your state or company requires]

[Schedule, benefits and how to apply]

Illustrative: every name, employer, school, date and number in these samples is fictional or a bracketed placeholder. Replace each bracket with your own true details; never copy a result you did not achieve.

Not a real job posting. This template is TryHired's illustration built from government occupational data. It is not an opening at any employer, and no employer wrote it.

For Commercial and Industrial Designers, the median annual wage was $83,910 in May 2025. The median hourly wage was $40.34. BLS estimates about 33,490 jobs in this occupation in the U.S.

BLS projects employment of Commercial and Industrial Designers to grow 2.4% from 2025 to 2035, with about 2,800 openings a year over that period, including openings to replace workers who leave.

• Read a real industrial designer posting next to the core duties above. Duties it repeats, such as “Prepare sketches of ideas, detailed drawings, illustrations, artwork…”, tell you what that employer weighs most; anything it adds is specific to that team.
• Tailor your resume to the posting, not to this page: describe only industrial designer work you have actually done, with your own results.
• Prepare a story for each of the top-rated skills (active listening and reading comprehension): a real situation, what you did and what changed.