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Commercial and Industrial Designers in Illinois

Commercial and Industrial Designers in Illinois

Considering working as a Commercial and Industrial Designers in Illinois? Here’s what you need to know. 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.

What do Commercial and Industrial Designers Make in Illinois?

For a commercial and industrial designers working in Illinois, wages run about $65,290 per year (or roughly $31.39/hour).Annual wages span from $48,360 at the 10th percentile to $97,710 at the 90th percentile.

Wage Statistic Annual Hourly
10th percentile $48,360 $23.25
25th percentile $58,080 $27.92
Median (50th) $65,290 $31.39
75th percentile $81,200 $39.04
90th percentile $97,710 $46.98
Salary ranges for Commercial and Industrial Designers in Illinois

The job concentration index in Illinois relative to the national average — is 0.19, meaning fewer commercial and industrial designers per worker than the national average.

National Wage Comparison

Nationally, commercial and industrial designers earn a median of $56,384 per year ($27.11/hour), above the Illinois median.

Commercial and Industrial Designers earnings in Illinois vs. the national average

Employment Outlook

National employment for 344,427 commercial and industrial designers nationwide. In Illinois alone, around 230 people work in this role. That’s below the typical state, which employs around 400 commercial and industrial designers.

Commercial and Industrial Designers in Illinois vs. the average state Forecasted number of jobs for Commercial and Industrial Designers

Top Illinois Metros for Commercial and Industrial Designers

These are the Illinois metros with the most commercial and industrial designers in Illinois.

Metro Area Number Employed Annual Median Salary
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN 160 $69,240

Top States for Commercial and Industrial Designers Employment

View the states that employ the most commercial and industrial designers work.

State Number Employed
California 4,530
Michigan 2,580
New York 2,140
Florida 1,800
Texas 1,630
Virginia 1,480
North Carolina 1,220
Ohio 1,060
New Jersey 1,030
Massachusetts 1,020
Tennessee 970
Pennsylvania 960
Minnesota 560
Iowa 540
Wisconsin 500
Missouri 500
Mississippi 490
South Carolina 470
Utah 460
Georgia 460

Highest-Paying States for Commercial and Industrial Designers

Where commercial and industrial designers earn the most: commercial and industrial designers.

State Annual Median Salary
Washington $106,720
Kansas $100,010
Massachusetts $99,310
Indiana $93,860
Rhode Island $93,340
California $93,300
Nevada $87,800
Michigan $85,460
New York $85,240
South Carolina $83,610

Skills

Key commercial and industrial designers skills, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Active Listening  4.0 / 5
0
5
Reading Comprehension  3.9 / 5
0
5
Complex Problem Solving  3.8 / 5
0
5
Critical Thinking  3.8 / 5
0
5
Speaking  3.5 / 5
0
5
Time Management  3.2 / 5
0
5

Knowledge Areas

Important knowledge areas for this occupation, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Design  4.7 / 5
0
5
Engineering and Technology  4.7 / 5
0
5
Mechanical  4.0 / 5
0
5
Production and Processing  4.0 / 5
0
5
Computers and Electronics  3.9 / 5
0
5
Mathematics  3.7 / 5
0
5

Abilities

The abilities that matter most for commercial and industrial designers, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Near Vision  3.9 / 5
0
5
Fluency of Ideas  3.9 / 5
0
5
Originality  3.9 / 5
0
5
Visualization  3.8 / 5
0
5
Deductive Reasoning  3.8 / 5
0
5
Written Comprehension  3.8 / 5
0
5

Daily Tasks

Day-to-day, commercial and industrial designers typically:

  • 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.
  • Develop manufacturing procedures and monitor the manufacture of their designs in a factory to improve operations and product quality.
  • Participate in new product planning or market research, including studying the potential need for new products.
  • Read publications, attend showings, and study competing products and design styles and motifs to obtain perspective and generate design concepts.
  • Fabricate models or samples in paper, wood, glass, fabric, plastic, metal, or other materials, using hand or power tools.

Work Activities

  • Drafting, Laying Out, and Specifying Technical Devices, Parts, and Equipment
  • Making Decisions and Solving Problems
  • Working with Computers
  • Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
  • Getting Information
  • Thinking Creatively
  • Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards
  • Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
  • Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships
  • Documenting/Recording Information
  • Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings
  • Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work

Tools & Technology

Software and systems commonly involved: Hot technologies: Adobe Acrobat, Adobe After Effects, Adobe Creative Cloud software, Adobe Illustrator In-demand technologies: Adobe Creative Cloud software

What Major Will Prepare You For This Career?

Programs that train for this career include:

  • Design & Applied Arts
  • Energy Systems Technologies/Technicians
  • Engineering-Related Fields

Careers similar to commercial and industrial designers include:

Also Known As

Art Glass Designer, Automobile Designer, Bank Note Designer, Bicycle Designer, Bike Designer, Boat Designer, Body Stylist, Car Body Designer, Ceramic Designer, Ceramic Mold Designer, Cloth Designer, Color Advisor, Color Consultant, Color Expert, Commercial Designer.

References

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