Toy and Game Designers


Overview

Introduction

Toy and game designers, also known as industrial or commercial designers, come up with the concepts for toys and games. They design products keeping in mind such things as usability, function, aesthetics, safety, production costs, and clients directions. They sketch their ideas by hand on paper and also create renderings with computer software. There were 32,770 commercial and industrial designers, including toy and game designers, employed in the United States in May 2019, according to the Department of Labor. The U.S. Toy, Doll, a...

Quick Facts


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Median Salary

$68,890

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Employment Prospects

Fair

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Minimum Education Level

Bachelors Degree


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Experience

Entry-level with on-the-job training (assistants)


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Skills

Drawing/Design|Interpersonal|Mechanical/Manual Dexterity


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Personality Traits

Artistic|Creative|Problem-Solving

Earnings

The average annual salary for commercial and industrial designers in May 2019 was $68,890, according to the Department of Labor. Salaries ranged from $39,860 or less to $114,950 or more. Glassdoor.com reported the average salary for toy designers in September 2020 was $87,293. 

Toy designers who are employed full time also receive benefits such as health insurance coverage; paid vacation...

Work Environment

Toy and game designers work in offices in toy and game firms, design companies, or in their own studios. They use computers and computer-aided design software to create models of toys and games. They spend time in brainstorming meetings with other design team members and market research. They may also spend some time traveling to toy manufacturers offices, testing facilities, exhibit sites, and...

Outlook

Industrial designers will have a decline in employment growth, of 4 percent, through 2029, according to the Department of Labor. The U.S. toy, doll, and game manufacturing industry has had little growth, about 1.2 percent per year, from 2015 through 2020. The economic slowdown due to the coronavirus pandemic has disrupted manufacturing around the world. Going forward, a decline in revenue in th...