Career profile for Custom Designer

What does a Custom Designer do?

Custom Designers sew, join, reinforce, or finish, usually with needle and thread, a variety of manufactured items.

In addition, Custom Designers includes weavers and stitchers.

What kind of tasks does a Custom Designer perform regularly?

Custom Designers are often responsible for overseeing or executing some or all of the following tasks:

Sew, join, reinforce, or finish parts of articles, such as garments, books, mattresses, toys, and wigs, using needles and thread or other materials.
Trim excess threads or edges of parts, using scissors or knives.
Select thread, twine, cord, or yarn to be used, and thread needles.
Draw and cut patterns according to specifications.
Fold, twist, stretch, or drape material, and secure articles in preparation for sewing.
Smooth seams with heated irons, flat bones, or rubbing sticks.
Measure and align parts, fasteners, or trimmings, following seams, edges, or markings on parts.
Use different sewing techniques such as felling, tacking, basting, embroidery, and fagoting.
Sew buttonholes, or add lace or other trimming.
Wax thread by drawing it through a ball of wax.
Tie, knit, weave or knot ribbon, yarn, or decorative materials.

The above responsibilities are specific to Custom Designers. More generally, Custom Designers are involved in several broader types of activities:

Activities	Importance	Details
Thinking Creatively		Developing, designing, or creating new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, or products, including artistic contributions.
Handling and Moving Objects		Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, and moving materials, and manipulating things.
Getting Information		Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
Making Decisions and Solving Problems		Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work		Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.

Thinking Creatively

Developing, designing, or creating new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, or products, including artistic contributions.

Handling and Moving Objects

Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, and moving materials, and manipulating things.

Getting Information

Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.

Making Decisions and Solving Problems

Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.

Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work

Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.

What is a Custom Designer salary?

The median salary for a Custom Designer is $0, and the average salary is $30,790. Both the median and average roughly describe the middle of the Custom Designer salary range, but the average is more easily affected by extremely high or low salaries.

Many Custom Designers earn significantly more or less than the average, due to several factors. About 10% of Custom Designers earn less than $21,040 per year, 25% earn less than $24,690, 75% earn less than $36,420, and 90% earn less than $40,710.

Between the years of 2020 and 2030, the number of Custom Designers is expected to change by -10.1%, and there should be roughly 800 open positions for Custom Designers every year.

Median annual salary: $0
Typical salary range: $21,040 - $40,710
Projected growth (2020 - 2030): -10.1%

What personality traits are common among Custom Designers?

Interests

Career interests describe a person's preferences for different types of working environments and activities. When a person's interest match the demands of an occupation, people are usually more engaged and satisfied in that role.

Compared to most occupations, those who work as a Custom Designer are usually higher in their Realistic, Artistic, and Conventional interests.

Custom Designers typically have very strong Realistic interests. Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.

Also, Custom Designers typically have strong Artistic interests. Artistic occupations frequently involve working with forms, designs and patterns. They often require self-expression and the work can be done without following a clear set of rules.

Lastly, Custom Designers typically have moderate Conventional interests. Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.

Values

People differ in their values, or what is most important to them for building job satisfaction and fulfillment.

Compared to most people, those working as a Custom Designer tend to value Independence, Support, and Working Conditions.

Most importantly, Custom Designers moderately value Independence. Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to work on their own and make decisions.

Second, Custom Designers moderately value Support. Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees.

Lastly, Custom Designers somewhat value Working Conditions. Occupations that satisfy this work value offer job security and good working conditions.

Psychological Demands

Each occupation brings its own set of psychological demands, which describe the characteristics necessary to perform the job well.

In order to perform their job successfully, people who work as Custom Designers must consistently demonstrate qualities such as attention to detail, dependability, and independence.

Below, you'll find a list of qualities typically required of Custom Designers, ranked by importance:

Demands	Importance	Details
Attention to Detail		Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.
Dependability		Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
Independence		Job requires developing one's own ways of doing things, guiding oneself with little or no supervision, and depending on oneself to get things done.
Innovation		Job requires creativity and alternative thinking to develop new ideas for and answers to work-related problems.
Integrity		Job requires being honest and ethical.

Attention to Detail

Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.

Dependability

Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.

Independence

Job requires developing one's own ways of doing things, guiding oneself with little or no supervision, and depending on oneself to get things done.

Innovation

Job requires creativity and alternative thinking to develop new ideas for and answers to work-related problems.

Integrity

Job requires being honest and ethical.

What education and training do Custom Designers need?

Working as a Custom Designer usually requires a high school diploma.

Custom Designers need anywhere from a few months to one year of working with experienced employees. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with this occupation.

Educational degrees among Custom Designers

24.7% did not complete high school or secondary school
32.1% completed high school or secondary school
17.5% completed some college coursework
7.0% earned a Associate's degree
15.7% earned a Bachelor's degree
2.5% earned a Master's degree
0.4% earned a doctorate or professional degree

Knowledge and expertise required by Custom Designers

Custom Designers may benefit from understanding of specialized subject areas, such as customer and personal service, design, or sales and marketing knowledge.

The list below shows several areas in which most Custom Designers might want to build proficiency, ranked by importance.

Knowledge areas	Importance	Details
Customer and Personal Service		Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
Design		Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
Sales and Marketing		Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
Production and Processing		Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
Mathematics		Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.

Customer and Personal Service

Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

Design

Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.

Sales and Marketing

Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.

Production and Processing

Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.

Mathematics

Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.

Important Abilities needed by Custom Designers

Custom Designers must develop a particular set of abilities to perform their job well. Abilities are individual capacities that influence a person's information processing, sensory perception, motor coordination, and physical strength or endurance. Individuals may naturally have certain abilities without explicit training, but most abilities can be sharpened somewhat through practice.

For example, Custom Designers need abilities such as arm-hand steadiness, manual dexterity, and finger dexterity in order to perform their job at a high level. The list below shows several important abilities for Custom Designers, ranked by their relative importance.

Abilities	Importance	Details
Arm-Hand Steadiness		The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.
Manual Dexterity		The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.
Finger Dexterity		The ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects.
Near Vision		The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
Visualization		The ability to imagine how something will look after it is moved around or when its parts are moved or rearranged.

Arm-Hand Steadiness

The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.

Manual Dexterity

The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.

Finger Dexterity

The ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects.

Near Vision

The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).

Visualization

The ability to imagine how something will look after it is moved around or when its parts are moved or rearranged.

Critical Skills needed by Custom Designers

Skills are developed capacities that enable people to function effectively in real-world settings. Unlike abilities, skills are typically easier to build through practice and experience. Skills influence effectiveness in areas such as learning, working with others, design, troubleshooting, and more.

Custom Designers frequently use skills like judgment and decision making, time management, and critical thinking to perform their job effectively. The list below shows several critical skills for Custom Designers, ranked by their relative importance.

Skills	Importance	Details
Judgment and Decision Making		Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Time Management		Managing one's own time and the time of others.
Critical Thinking		Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
Complex Problem Solving		Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
Active Listening		Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

Judgment and Decision Making

Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.

Time Management

Managing one's own time and the time of others.

Critical Thinking

Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.

Complex Problem Solving

Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.

Active Listening

Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

What is the source of this information?

The information provided on this page is adapted from data and descriptions published by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration under the CC BY 4.0 license. TraitLab has modified some information for ease of use and reading, and the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment, and Training Administration has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.

If you have any questions or suggestions about this information, please send a message.

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