Do you need a degree to be a design consultant?

Yes, you need a degree to be a design consultant. Many design consultants receive a bachelor's of arts degree with a design concentration. Many opt for interior design, graphic design, or comparable artistic design tracks, such as fashion, that provide the skills necessary for basic design consultant work.

How do I get into design consulting?

You can get into design consulting by completing a design degree from an accredited school, starting a design portfolio, building experience as an intern during your degree track, or finding an entry-level position after graduation.

How much do design consultants make?

Design consultants make between $61,400 and $69,600 per year, on average. Entry-level prospects make around $58,000 depending on non-work experience and portfolios. Those just entering the field with licenses, portfolios, and a letter of recommendation from a well-known mentor are likely to have a higher starting salary.

What makes a good design consultant?

Communication skills, software, industry knowledge (such as CAD software), and the ability to be flexible and think creatively make a good design consultant. Other skills employers and clients want in their design consultants include:

How To Become A Design Consultant: What It Is and Career Path

What is a design consultant and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted Expert

Abby Guido

Design consultants function in the fields of interior design, fashion design, or graphic design. They could help clients utilize their living space by creating design plans, selecting color themes and styles, arranging furniture, or fixing lighting and other fixtures. They could also work in graphic design, creating images and developing graphics for company websites and products.

Design consultants could also be found studying the latest trends in the fashion industry and using them to create clothing, footwear, and accessory pieces. You should remember that regardless of the field you are working in, the goal is to suggest and create ideas that create a fine balance of aesthetics and functionality.

The most commonly required educational qualification is a bachelor's degree in graphic design, interior design, business, or fine arts. Necessary skills are creativity, great communication skills, product knowledge, design process, design services, java, and listening skills. The mean annual salary is $69,967 or $33.51 per hour.

What general advice would you give to a Design Consultant?

Abby Guido

Assistant Professor, Tyler School of Art and Architecture, Temple University

We've all heard the buzz about networking, and there is so much buzz because it works. Make sure your LinkedIn profile is both up to date and active. Connect with all of your past professors, classmates, and anyone and everyone you meet in a professional setting. I often tell students to get into the habit of searching for any classroom guests, or guest lecturers, to connect, thank them for their time, and build their network. Share content. Write articles, or reshare those you find interesting.

Every job I have ever received in my career has been through someone else I know. I share this with students to help them see the value in relationships. I always remember the students that took the time to write a handwritten thank-you note. And I think of them when I get an email asking if I know any students are looking for work.

ScoreDesign ConsultantUS Average

Salary

6.1

Avg. Salary $77,803

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 51.87%

male 48.13%

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 design consultant

Explore design consultant education requirements

Most common design consultant degrees

Bachelor's

67.7 %

Associate

16.8 %

Master's

8.7 %

Start to develop specific design consultant skills

Skills	Percentages
Product Knowledge	9.09%
Java	8.48%
Design Process	8.42%
Design Services	7.23%
Design Solutions	5.99%

Complete relevant design consultant training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New design consultants 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 design consultant based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real design consultant resumes.

Research design consultant duties and responsibilities

Manage a CMS website and WordPress blog.
Lead 5 country assessment of SME constraints and opportunities in order to program $2 million of donor funds.
Manage team of design, engineering, DBA, and QA members to implement wine club subscription e-commerce services.
Develop construction drawings using AutoCAD; coordinate bid process and vendor selection; and manage construction process through final punch list.

Prepare your design consultant resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your design consultant 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 design consultant resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Design Consultant Resume templates

Build a professional Design Consultant resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Design Consultant resume.

Apply for design consultant jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a design consultant job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do design consultants rate their job?

-/5

5 Stars

4 Stars

3 Stars

2 Stars

1 Star

Design Consultant reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Aug 2020

Cons

It needs more patience to apply the true solution and satisfy your client

A zippia user wrote a review on Jul 2020

Cons

Interference in mid of work.

Pros

Creativity, Innovation, Intact Brand Integrity through Brand Guidelines

A zippia user wrote a review on Feb 2020

Pros

Making people look sweet and smart

Cons

Not satisfying the need of my client.... And not able delivering my work as discussed with the client

What is a design consultant and how to become one

What general advice would you give to a Design Consultant?

Design Consultant career paths

Key steps to become a design consultant

Explore design consultant education requirements

Most common design consultant degrees

Start to develop specific design consultant skills

Complete relevant design consultant training and internships

Research design consultant duties and responsibilities

Prepare your design consultant resume

Choose From 10+ Customizable Design Consultant Resume templates

Apply for design consultant jobs

How Did You Land Your First Design Consultant Job

Average design consultant salary

How do design consultants rate their job?

Design Consultant reviews

Design Consultant FAQs

Do you need a degree to be a design consultant?

How do I get into design consulting?

How much do design consultants make?

What makes a good design consultant?

Search for design consultant jobs