Overview

The field of design encompasses countless career possibilities. Designers work in fashion, computers, interior design, manufacturing, landscaping, and virtually any other profession in the business world where things need to be designed. If you have a creative bent, and eye for detail and an ability to fashion something functional and aesthetically pleasing from whatever raw materials you are working with, you can find some sort of niche in this profession.

The biggest diversity with designers, of course, is in what they are designing and what materials they are using. Interior designers, for example, are experts with fabrics, colors, furnishings and the optimal use of space. Graphic designers work with computers, colors, print and text, while landscape designers know how to use living plants to create beautiful outdoor spaces. Even the computer or handheld device on which you’re reading this text was designed by someone! As you can see, the number of career choices in design is staggering. There’s a tailor-made career for you somewhere in this field, if you can simply decide where you want to specialize.

Related

Book designers work either full-time or as a freelance regular for a publishing company. The book designer designs not only the jacket and cover of the book, but also the interior. The designer works with the book editor and the publisher’s art director to find out all the information needed to correctly design the book.  Designers then make a variety of sketches to show the editor and art director, and sometimes the author. With input from them, the sketches are changed and improved until everyone is happy with the look. Then, more specific drawings or designs are produced to exact specifications. Read More...

The design director develops, implements and manages a company’s design strategy, with ultimate responsibility for the company’s product design output. They may work for a design firm, often as its head, or as the head of the design department within a big manufacturing company.
Average Salary:

$120,000.
Average Hours (per week):

40 plus hours per week are the norm for the design director, who has multiple responsibilities.
Union:

No
Certifications:

No certifications are needed that relate directly to director level, though certification in project management would be needed along the way, as well as any engineering certification related to design specialties.
Training Period: Read More...

The design manager, or industrial design manager, or commercial design manager, or senior manager, is the creative director of the product-designers and draftsmen working to develop or improve products.

Design managers often hire the other designers, then oversees their work. The design manager works with the client and the other members of a design firm to understand completely the client’s needs and budget. They then develop a schedule and puts the right team or teams together to complete the project on time. The manager also advises the teams all along the way, to make sure that they stay on track with the client’s specifications. Read More...

The Commercial/Industrial Designer employs an understanding of design, engineering, marketing, psychology, and other skills to design or improve the products we use every day. Though many designers specialize in a particular product category such as cars, appliances, tech goods, medical equipment or even toys, they all combine an appreciation for art, business and engineering in their work of developing and improving products. Read More...

Exhibit designers design and construct environments and exhibits for museums. They must make the material as easily reachable and as understandable as possible. They also try to make the exhibits as engaging as possible.

The exhibit designer works with the curator and other museum personnel to gather all the information needed about the exhibit: the number of pieces, the space allowed, and the content and all of the educational material to be conveyed. The designer then makes several possible design sketches for the curator to choose from. The designer then adapts the designs to the curator’s needs and other demands. Once the design is finalized, the designer oversees its construction and installation, making any and all final touches before the exhibit is open to the public.
Average Salary: Read More...

Set designers use a sense of design, an understanding of the architecture of the period presented in the play or film (or commercial), and an understanding of theatre or film in general to create engaging sets.

Set designers read the script and work with the director to understand all the basic needs of the set as well as the director’s vision. They must often do research to ensure that their designs are accurate with the period presented, and with the place presented. The designer shows several possible sketches for the sets to the director, and then must adapt and change as the sketches move to models and to blueprints and then the set itself.
Average Salary: Read More...

Interior designers design the interior space of homes, office buildings, restaurants, and virtually any inside space. The designer works with the client to find out all of the practical needs of the space, and any particular problems that may have to be overcome.  They then put together an understanding of space, architecture, art, fabrics, colors and textures to make both an optimally attractive and practical space within the client’s budget. The interior designer needs to be a successful communicator, in addition to having the artistic skills.
Average Salary:

$42,000. Salaries vary widely depending on the type of design specialty and employer.
Average Hours (per week): Read More...

Also called a Senior Graphic Artist, this individual creates visual solutions to communication problems. Using a knowledge of type, art, composition, illustration, photography, and all of the visual arts, Graphic Designers also use computers to put together visuals for advertising, packaging, promotions, layout of newspapers and magazines, branding, just about everything that uses graphic arts. The Senior Specialist, in a book or magazine publishing house or a design firm, would be like an advertising Creative Director. This person would oversee other graphic artists and help plan larger projects.
Average Salary: Read More...

Also known as graphic artists, graphic design specialists create visual solutions to communication problems, meaning they are particularly adept at telling stories or communicating messages using graphic elements. When words are part of the message, they use skills with type fonts to augment the power of the words.

Graphic artists have an understanding of all the visual arts and apply them as needed to advertising, newspapers and magazines, Internet pages, and virtually anything that can be a visual communication. They employ type, illustration, composition, photography and other visual arts into one graphic design. Most graphic designers work on computers, using graphic design software to help them create works faster.
Average Salary: Read More...

Floral designers can make literally breathtaking works of art, using flowers, greenery, and sometimes other props such as knickknacks and balloons, or various kinds of planters and vases. There is definitely more to it than meets the eye. Floral designers have a strong visual sense, and learn on the job, or by just noticing the designs of others.

Different occasions – funerals, weddings, birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, and just general occasions – require different kinds of floral arrangements, which the floral designer works to make as beautiful as possible with the flowers at hand and the budget of the customer.
Average Salary: Read More...

Costume Designers are fashion designers who work for films, television, or in theatre. Besides creating fashions, these designers must do extensive research in the period and place depicted on screen or stage. The Costume Designers present many sketches of possible costumes to the Director. Then, they work to develop the Director’s vision of the costumes, changing and adapting as the designs go from sketches to complete drawings to actual costumes. The Costume Designer will also search through costume outlets, used clothing stores, and vintage shops, to find just the right piece.

Average Salary: Read More...

Fashion designers are gifted artists who work in the three-dimensional, ever-changing world of designing clothes. Fashion designers study trends in design, particularly, of course, clothing design. They then must create their designs for clothes that won’t be in the stores for two more years. Fashion designers not only are experts at color and style. They must also consider fabrics, the limits of anatomy, and certain practicalities of everyday life in designing clothes. Fashion designers also work closely with the manufacturers to ensure the clothes are done correctly.
Average Salary:

$61,000 for full-time workers. The average for freelance designers is less.
Average Hours (per week): Read More...

School Website Length to Graduate: 4 years Location: Online Students per Class: 11-20 Tuition to Graduate: $76,660

DESCRIPTION

You understand the importance of interior design and style as well as the functionality and practicality of space. Part art, part science, our classes for interior design go far beyond decorating. Interior designers have a profound impact on people’s lives by creating the surroundings in which they live, work and play. Our Interior Design degree online can be your gateway into this exciting field.

The Art Institute of Pittsburgh – Online Division is a leader in online creative arts education for Interior Design. Founded in 1921, The Art Institute of Pittsburgh supports our Interior Design courses with more than 85 years of excellence. Read More...