Commercial and Industrial Designers

What Commercial and Industrial Designers Do

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.

Career Outlook

National employment outlook, 2024–2034.

Related work experience

None

On-the-job training

None

Self-employed

2%

Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.

Key Knowledge Areas

Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.

• Designimportance 4.7/5
• Engineering and Technologyimportance 4.7/5
• Production and Processingimportance 4.0/5
• Mechanicalimportance 4.0/5
• Computers and Electronicsimportance 3.9/5
• Mathematicsimportance 3.7/5
• English Languageimportance 3.6/5
• Physicsimportance 3.1/5

Work Environment

What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.

• E-Mail5.0/5
• Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams5.0/5
• Indoors, Environmentally Controlled4.9/5
• Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team4.7/5
• Telephone Conversations4.7/5
• Importance of Being Exact or Accurate4.4/5

Related Careers

• Mechanical Drafters
• Model Makers, Metal and Plastic
• Fabric and Apparel Patternmakers
• Patternmakers, Metal and Plastic
• Fashion Designers
• Industrial Engineers
• Layout Workers, Metal and Plastic
• Mechanical Engineering Technologists and Technicians

Careers With Similar Skills

Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.

• Materials Engineers92% skill match
• Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers90% skill match
• Agricultural Engineers90% skill match
• Aerospace Engineers90% skill match
• Software Developers90% skill match
• Orthodontists89% skill match
• Biochemists and Biophysicists89% skill match
• Materials Scientists88% skill match

Transferable Skills

Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.

• Complex Problem Solvingimportance 3.8/5
• Operations Analysisimportance 3.3/5
• Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 3.3/5
• Time Managementimportance 3.3/5
• Social Perceptivenessimportance 3.1/5
• Coordinationimportance 3.1/5
• Persuasionimportance 3.1/5
• Technology Designimportance 3.1/5

Software & Technologies

Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.

Work Style

Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.

• Innovation
• Attention to Detail
• Intellectual Curiosity
• Achievement Orientation
• Adaptability
• Dependability
• Self-Confidence

Career Interests

This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.

• ArtisticHigh
• RealisticMedium
• InvestigativeMedium
• EnterprisingMedium
• ConventionalMedium
• SocialLow

Where This Career Is Most Concentrated

Metro areas where commercial and industrial designers make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).

1. 1Elkhart-Goshen, IN6.89× national avg
2. 2Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI4.29× national avg
3. 3Dalton, GA4.15× national avg
4. 4Niles, MI3.97× national avg
5. 5Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC3.45× national avg

Possible Career Moves

A computed starting point, not observed job-change data — see the full list for why each one might fit.

• Materials EngineersCareer Change
• Mechanical DraftersCareer Change
• Materials ScientistsCareer Change
• Aerospace EngineersCareer Change

See the full career path from Commercial and Industrial Designers →

Related Education Programs

Schools that offer related fields of study, based on the NCES CIP-SOC crosswalk — not a guarantee that graduates enter this specific career.