How To Become A Project Designer: What It Is and Career Path

What is a project designer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted Expert

Bill Darcy

A project designer is an individual in charge of designing projects. He/she provides support to project developers on the projects they are undertaking. Project design is among the first stages of a project, where features and expectations are planned. Depending on client needs, a project designer is expected to develop one or more designs that meet the desired project objectives.

The responsibilities of a project designer vary depending on the industry. A project designer can work in architecture firms, construction firms, technology solutions firms, or interior design firms. Typical responsibilities of project designers include prototypes, sketches, simulations, HTML designs, flowcharts, etc.

Project designers have regular work schedules. They work 40 hours a week, Monday to Friday, 9 - 5. A project designer's role is crucial in any project because he/she is comparable to the architect of a project.

What general advice would you give to a Project Designer?

Bill Darcy

CEO, National Kitchen & Bath Association

This year has thrown curveballs at us like never before, and the job market is just one of the areas that has been upended," said Bill Darcy, NKBA CEO. "One thing the pandemic has proven is that our homes are multitasking more than ever - like home office, home school, gym, spa - and our kitchens are getting quite a workout, as the family's central hub and gathering space. People are anxious to remodel, so they may customize their spaces to accommodate these new needs. This is one sector where business is robust, and many of our NKBA designer and remodeler members can't keep up with the volume of work. So, entering the workforce in a design or remodeling capacity holds a great deal of promise. Work and jobs are plentiful - and our research shows that design, construction and remodeling activity is likely to continue well into next year and beyond. Of course, no one can predict the course the pandemic might take or other factors might affect the economy, but I would suggest that this is an excellent time to explore internships and apprenticeships in the skilled trades, because these professional pathways, as well as kitchen, bath and interior design, are likely to yield solid opportunities for the foreseeable future.

ScoreProject DesignerUS Average

Salary

5.1

Avg. Salary $64,943

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

6.7

Growth Rate 1%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.8

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.14%

Asian 4.57%

Black or African American 1.48%

Hispanic or Latino 7.59%

Unknown 4.08%

White 82.14%

Gender

female 33.53%

male 66.47%

Age - 40

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 40

Stress Level

6.7

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

8.7

Complexity Level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

3.4

Work Life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a project designer

Explore project designer education requirements

Most common project designer degrees

Bachelor's

68.6 %

Associate

15.5 %

Master's

10.5 %

Start to develop specific project designer skills

Skills	Percentages
Revit	16.70%
Sketch	7.79%
Design Concepts	5.47%
Auto CAD	4.88%
SketchUp	4.69%

Complete relevant project designer training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New project designers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a project designer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real project designer resumes.

Research project designer duties and responsibilities

Lead efforts to redesign and convert existing self-pace and instructor-le course materials into eLearning and web-base formats.
Provide 2D AutoCAD and 3D Sketchup drawings for client presentations.
Implement AIA layering standards and create file management standards for the office.
Calculate size of ductwork, hydronic piping, plumbing, and gas piping.

Prepare your project designer resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your project designer resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a project designer resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

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