Vocational Index

Career

Commercial and industrial designers

Design the products people use every day.

$83,910
Median pay
+2.4%
Job growth, 2025–35
2,800
Openings a year
Bachelor's degree
Typical education
4 years
Typical time after high school

Here's what you actually need to know.

The work

What people in this job 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.

The outlook

How the forecast changed this year

2024–34 edition+3.2%2025–35 edition+2.4%
Projected 10-year growth in last year's and this year's BLS projections. 2,500 → 2,800 openings a year.

The deeper question

What kind of person does this path ask you to become?

What this work centers on

Creation & expression
5.5
Objects & tools
4.6
Ideas & analysis
4.1
Persuasion & leadership
3.7
Information & systems
3.5
People & care
1.8

O*NET interest profile, scored 1–7.

The work

Do you want most of your days spent on creation & expression, then objects & tools?

Responsibility

Are you willing to be the one responsible for this?

“Prepare sketches of ideas, detailed drawings, illustrations, artwork, or blueprints, using drafting instruments, paints and brushes, or computer-aided design equipment.”

Development

What would you need to build over the next 5–10 years?

Active Listening, Reading Comprehension, Critical Thinking, Complex Problem Solving.

Trade-offs

What does it ask of you in exchange?

4 years of education after high school (bachelor's degree), for a median of $83,910 a year and 2,800 openings nationally each year.

Paths in

Degrees that lead here

  • Design and Applied ArtsSee the degree →
  • Packaging ScienceCIP 15.1503
  • Energy Systems Technology/TechnicianCIP 15.1701
  • Design and Visual Communications, GeneralCIP 50.0401
  • Commercial and Advertising ArtCIP 50.0402
  • Industrial and Product DesignCIP 50.0404

Paths across

Careers that use similar skills

Ask anything about this career.

“Would this make sense if I don't want to sit at a desk all day?” Answers will come from the sources on this page, with citations. Coming soon.

Not sure this fits who you are? Start with Vocational Finder →

Sources

  1. BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
  2. BLS Employment Projections, 2024–34 (archived), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
  3. O*NET 31.0 Database (August 2026), National Center for O*NET Development / U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
  4. CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk, NCES and BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-01.