What it pays
Government survey numbers — not estimates, not ads.
Half of all Commercial and Industrial Designers in the U.S. earn more than $83,910 a year — the middle 80% land between $53,460 and $139,770. About 33,490 people in the U.S. do this work. Figures are for the U.S. occupation group “Commercial and Industrial Designers”. (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics survey, published 2025.) In India, Professionals earn about ₹38,298 a month on average — around ₹4.6 lakh a year (government PLFS survey via ILOSTAT, occupation-family figure).
$83,910typical pay / year
33,490people in this work
$139,770+top 10% earn
₹4.6 lakha year in India (family avg)
Think you get this job?Six quick questions on how it really works — with a hint and the reason behind every answer.
Test yourself →The work, task by task
These are the real jobs-to-be-done, not a wish list. Each task shows where we found it, and the prompt underneath is written for that exact task.
Fixing1
Overseeing the development of products
+Oversee development of the new consumer speaker line: confirm engineering milestones, resolve the tooling…
Overseeing the development of products
+Oversee development of the new consumer speaker line: confirm engineering milestones, resolve the tooling budget dispute with James in manufacturing, update the roadmap for launch in October, and brief Sarah in sales on commercial terms by Friday.
The tools that do the workAutodesk RevitESCOO*NETWikipedia
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Analysing2
Examine materials and manufacturing requirements
+Review the material specs and manufacturing constraints for the speaker enclosure, flag any noncompliant…
Examine materials and manufacturing requirements
+Review the material specs and manufacturing constraints for the speaker enclosure, flag any noncompliant suppliers, estimate tooling lead times, and send a go/no‑go recommendation to procurement and the program manager by Wednesday.
The tools that do the workAutodesk AutoCADjob descriptionsO*NET
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Research product use, marketing, and materials
+Research product use, market positioning, and material options: run a competitor feature audit, organise…
Research product use, marketing, and materials
+Research product use, market positioning, and material options: run a competitor feature audit, organise three supplier material samples for lab testing, estimate cost and lead time impacts, and present recommendations to the product and commercial teams next Wednesday.
The tools that do the workAutodesk Revitjob descriptionsO*NETWikipedia
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Make3
Create physical prototypes of designs
+Produce the first physical prototype of the portable speaker: prioritise enclosure parts for CNC, order two…
Create physical prototypes of designs
+Produce the first physical prototype of the portable speaker: prioritise enclosure parts for CNC, order two foam masters and one assembled electronics dummy, book lab time for next Tuesday for user testing and risk checks.
The tools that do the workAutodesk AutoCADjob descriptionsWikipedia
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Design and develop manufactured products
+Design and develop the new consumer product line starting from requirements: produce CAD-ready concept…
Design and develop manufactured products
+Design and develop the new consumer product line starting from requirements: produce CAD-ready concept models, a bill of materials, and a risk register, then hand the validated designs and supplier-ready drawings to procurement and manufacturing by the end of the quarter.
The tools that do the workAutodesk AutoCADjob descriptionsO*NETWikipedia
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Sketch ideas or create renderings
+Sketch concept ideas and produce photorealistic renderings of three shortlisted designs, iterate with the…
Sketch ideas or create renderings
+Sketch concept ideas and produce photorealistic renderings of three shortlisted designs, iterate with the design director on materials and finishes, and deliver one set of production-ready render images for the marketing launch in three weeks.
The tools that do the workAdobe IllustratorAutodesk AutoCADjob descriptionsO*NETWikipedia
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The daily work14
Determining product prices
+Set final retail and B2B list prices for the new travel mug by modelling cost build-up, target margin,…
Determining product prices
+Set final retail and B2B list prices for the new travel mug by modelling cost build-up, target margin, competitor prices and break-even volumes, then produce a one-page pricing rationale for Jake in sales and our CFO by Wednesday morning.
The tools that do the workC#ESCO
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Project management
+Publish the three-month launch project plan for the travel mug with milestones, owners, risks and contingency…
Project management
+Publish the three-month launch project plan for the travel mug with milestones, owners, risks and contingency actions, notify Priya in procurement and Daniel the factory lead of their tasks, and request a fortnightly review on Mondays.
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Ensures designs meet safety and regulatory standards
+Confirm the technical drawings and material specs comply with EN and FDA safety rules, flag non‑compliance…
Ensures designs meet safety and regulatory standards
+Confirm the technical drawings and material specs comply with EN and FDA safety rules, flag non‑compliance with clear risk notes, update the compliance checklist, and send the dossier to Marta in regulatory for her sign‑off by Tuesday.
The tools that do the workAutodesk AutoCADO*NETWikipedia
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Assists in the development of product branding and packaging
+Create final dielines, label all child‑safety and recycling icons, lock approved color palette, export…
Assists in the development of product branding and packaging
+Create final dielines, label all child‑safety and recycling icons, lock approved color palette, export print‑ready artwork, and circulate the packaging pack to Ben in marketing and Laura in procurement for pricing and approval by next Friday.
The tools that do the workAdobe IllustratorO*NETWikipedia
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Consult with clients to determine requirements
+Run a discovery call agenda, capture user needs, constraints and success metrics, convert notes into a…
Consult with clients to determine requirements
+Run a discovery call agenda, capture user needs, constraints and success metrics, convert notes into a one‑page brief with targeted questions, then email it to James at Acme and copy the engineering lead before Wednesday.
The tools that do the workApple iOSjob descriptionsWikipedia
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Work with engineers and manufacturers
+Review the prototype tolerances with the engineering drawing, list manufacturability issues with suggested…
Work with engineers and manufacturers
+Review the prototype tolerances with the engineering drawing, list manufacturability issues with suggested fixes, attach the updated spec sheet, and send to Priya on the factory team and Marco the mechanical lead with a three‑day turnaround.
The tools that do the workAutodesk RevitAutodesk AutoCADjob descriptionsWikipedia
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Supervise assistants' work throughout the design process.
+Audit the assistant designers' files for brand consistency, correct deviations, record time and quality…
Supervise assistants' work throughout the design process.
+Audit the assistant designers' files for brand consistency, correct deviations, record time and quality issues, brief each assistant on required fixes, and report summaries to Hannah in design operations by Friday noon.
The tools that do the workAdobe InDesignAdobe PhotoshopO*NET
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Advise corporations on issues involving corporate image projects or problems.
+Prepare a short counsel memo on the public relations risks of the rebrand, list legal exposure points and…
Advise corporations on issues involving corporate image projects or problems.
+Prepare a short counsel memo on the public relations risks of the rebrand, list legal exposure points and mitigation steps, attach example messaging, and send it to the CEO and the external counsel for review by end of week.
The tools that do the workAdobe AcrobatO*NET
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Use computer software to develop virtual models
+Develop photoreal virtual product models of the new portable speaker range, build CAD-ready geometry, assign…
Use computer software to develop virtual models
+Develop photoreal virtual product models of the new portable speaker range, build CAD-ready geometry, assign correct material properties and assembly relations, generate rendered views from five angles and export the model set for engineering review by Friday.
The tools that do the workAutodesk AutoCADjob descriptions
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Selects materials and finishes for products
+Choose the material and finish specification for the portable speaker family, compare three polymers and two…
Selects materials and finishes for products
+Choose the material and finish specification for the portable speaker family, compare three polymers and two metal options for cost, durability and manufacturability, recommend preferred and backup finishes with supplier risk notes by next Wednesday.
The tools that do the workAutodesk AutoCADWikipedia
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Maintains knowledge of current design trends and technologies
+Survey current design trends and enabling technologies for consumer audio, summarise five relevant product…
Maintains knowledge of current design trends and technologies
+Survey current design trends and enabling technologies for consumer audio, summarise five relevant product features, three emergent materials and two manufacturing techs, and produce a one-page implications memo for the product roadmap meeting on Monday.
The tools that do the workAdobe AcrobatWikipedia
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Setting targets
+Set quarterly targets for the speaker product line: revenue, launch milestones, defect rate and…
Setting targets
+Set quarterly targets for the speaker product line: revenue, launch milestones, defect rate and time-to-market, justify each target with cost and risk assumptions, then send the target sheet to marketing and operations by close of business Thursday.
The tools that do the workAdobe AcrobatESCO
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Planning and developing selling efforts
+Plan the selling effort for the upcoming speaker launch: define buyer segments, pack and pricing variants,…
Planning and developing selling efforts
+Plan the selling effort for the upcoming speaker launch: define buyer segments, pack and pricing variants, three promotional activations, channel mix and a 12-week rollout timeline, then circulate the plan to sales and finance for feedback on Friday.
The tools that do the workAdobe AcrobatESCO
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Managing sales agents
+Manage the sales agents for the speaker launch: assign territories, set commission and quota rules, schedule…
Managing sales agents
+Manage the sales agents for the speaker launch: assign territories, set commission and quota rules, schedule weekly coaching, list top three KPIs and send the roster and coaching plan to the regional leads by Tuesday noon.
The tools that do the workAdobe AcrobatESCO
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Says who?
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Activities this job lives in
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Built on public evidence: O*NET®, ESCO, Wikipedia, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, ILOSTAT. All sources & licenses
Built on public evidence: O*NET®, ESCO, Wikipedia, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, ILOSTAT. All sources & licenses