Design Manager
Similar Professions

Alternative Careers and Similar Jobs to a Design Manager

As a Design Manager, you have transferrable skills that would make you a good fit for other similar jobs. Here's a list of related jobs, possible career transitions and alternative careers, based on skills you likely have.

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Similar Job Titles
  • Design Director
  • Design Specialist
  • Product Designer
  • Graphic Designer
  • Design Consultant
  • Head Of Design
  • Interior Designer
  • Unlock all suggestions
    Alternative Careers
  • Creative Director
  • Art Director
  • Design Project Manager
  • Vice President Design
  • Creative Manager
  • Design Principal
  • Visual Designer
  • Creative Specialist
  • Unlock all suggestions

    Similar Job Titles to a Design Manager

    These job titles are similar to the Design Manager role, and are often used interchangeably by companies. For example, some employers may refer to a Design Manager as either a Design Director or a Design Specialist.

    Design Director
     Very Similar Skills
    ★  Very Popular

    Skill Similarity

    82%

    A Design Director shares 82% of core skills with a Design Manager.

    Skills to develop to transition to this role

    Art Direction
    Brand Development
    Branding & Identity
    Sketching
    Typography
    Design Strategy
    Experience Design
    User Experience (UX)

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    Design Specialist
     Very Similar Skills
     Growing

    Skill Similarity

    80%

    A Design Specialist shares 80% of core skills with a Design Manager.

    Skills to develop to transition to this role

    Sketching
    Illustration
    Typography
    SketchUp
    SOLIDWORKS
    Revit
    Computer-Aided Design (CAD)
    Art Direction

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    Product Designer
     Fairly Similar Skills
     Growing

    Skill Similarity

    52%

    A Product Designer shares 52% of core skills with a Design Manager.

    Skills to develop to transition to this role

    Wireframing
    User Experience Design (UED)
    Interaction Design
    User Experience (UX)
    Prototyping
    Design Thinking
    Usability Testing
    Sketch App

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    Graphic Designer
     Fairly Similar Skills
     Growing

    Skill Similarity

    53%

    A Graphic Designer shares 53% of core skills with a Design Manager.

    Skills to develop to transition to this role

    Graphics
    Photography
    Illustration
    Page Layout
    Advertising
    Video Editing
    Adobe Premiere Pro
    Typography

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    Design Consultant
     Fairly Similar Skills
     Growing

    Skill Similarity

    79%

    A Design Consultant shares 79% of core skills with a Design Manager.

    Skills to develop to transition to this role

    Design Thinking
    Interaction Design
    User Experience Design (UED)
    User Experience (UX)
    Sketching
    Branding & Identity
    Visual Design
    Graphics

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    Head Of Design
     Fairly Similar Skills
     Growing

    Skill Similarity

    72%

    A Head Of Design shares 72% of core skills with a Design Manager.

    Skills to develop to transition to this role

    Microsoft Access
    Design Management
    SketchUp
    Visual Design
    Photography
    Management
    Autodesk 3ds Max
    Leadership

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    Interior Designer
     Fairly Similar Skills
     Growing

    Skill Similarity

    53%

    An Interior Designer shares 53% of core skills with a Design Manager.

    Skills to develop to transition to this role

    SketchUp
    V-Ray
    Furniture
    Space Planning
    Furnishings
    Interior Architecture
    Decoration
    Architecture

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    Alternative Careers and Related Jobs For a Design Manager

    Here is a list of possible career transitions and similar professions a typical Design Manager often moves into, within or outside their industry.

    Creative Director
     Fairly Similar Skills
     Growing

    Skill Similarity

    59%

    A Creative Director shares 59% of core skills with a Design Manager.

    Skills to develop to transition to this role

    Art Direction
    Brand Development
    Advertising
    Creative Strategy
    Branding & Identity
    Photography
    Corporate Identity
    Typography

    Load more skills
    Explore this career profile See all Creative Director skills
    Art Director
     Fairly Similar Skills
     Growing

    Skill Similarity

    57%

    An Art Director shares 57% of core skills with a Design Manager.

    Skills to develop to transition to this role

    Art Direction
    Art
    Advertising
    Illustration
    Corporate Identity
    Photography
    Online Advertising
    Typography

    Load more skills
    See all Art Director skills
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    Design Project Manager
     Fairly Similar Skills
     Growing

    Skill Similarity

    68%

    A Design Project Manager shares 68% of core skills with a Design Manager.

    Skills to develop to transition to this role

    Architectural Design
    Submittals
    Space Planning
    Construction Drawings
    Construction Management
    Design Research
    SketchUp
    Revit

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    Vice President Design
     Fairly Similar Skills
     Growing

    Skill Similarity

    74%

    A Vice President Design shares 74% of core skills with a Design Manager.

    Skills to develop to transition to this role

    Load skills
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    Creative Manager
     Fairly Similar Skills
     Growing

    Skill Similarity

    54%

    A Creative Manager shares 54% of core skills with a Design Manager.

    Skills to develop to transition to this role

    Load skills
    See all Creative Manager skills
    Design Principal
     Fairly Similar Skills
     Growing

    Skill Similarity

    65%

    A Design Principal shares 65% of core skills with a Design Manager.

    Skills to develop to transition to this role

    Load skills
    See all Design Principal skills
    Visual Designer
     Fairly Similar Skills
     Growing

    Skill Similarity

    55%

    A Visual Designer shares 55% of core skills with a Design Manager.

    Skills to develop to transition to this role

    Load skills
    Explore this career profile See all Visual Designer skills
    Creative Specialist
     Fairly Similar Skills
     Growing

    Skill Similarity

    57%

    A Creative Specialist shares 57% of core skills with a Design Manager.

    Skills to develop to transition to this role

    Load skills
    Explore this career profile See all Creative Specialist skills

    High Value Skills to Build as a Design Manager

    If you're a Design Manager and are planning to move into a similar profession or alternative career, it's important to build the right skill sets to position you for your next career.

    We analyzed thousands of career transitions in your industry and identified the highest value skills to build as a Design Manager. Building these skills will set you up for the most number of the above careers.

    • Art Direction
    • Brand Development
    • Branding & Identity
    • Sketching
    • Typography
    • Design Strategy
    • Experience Design
    • User Experience (UX)
    • Advertising
    • Creative Strategy
    • Photography
    • Corporate Identity
    • Illustration
    • SketchUp
    • SOLIDWORKS
    • Revit
    • Computer-Aided Design (CAD)
    • Art

    Word Cloud of Skills to Build as a Design Manager

    Here is a word cloud of the skills above. Use this as inspiration for the kinds of transferrable skills you need to build to move into a similar profession or alternative career.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    What skills do I need to develop to become a Design Principal?

    To become a Design Principal from a Design Manager, you should develop skills like Design Research, Architectural Design, Sustainable Design, Space Planning, Architecture, Submittals, Residential Design and Green Building.

    What are the skills required to become a Visual Designer?

    If you want to become a Visual Designer, you need to develop skills like Visual Design, Illustration, User Experience (UX), Interaction Design, User Experience Design (UED), Graphics, Adobe XD and Typography.

    What are similar jobs a Design Manager can transition into?

    Below are the most common career transitions for a Design Manager

    • Vice President Design
    • Design Project Manager
    • Design Principal
    • Art Director
    • Creative Director
    • Visual Designer
    • Creative Specialist
    • Creative Manager

    What are some alternative careers a former Design Manager should consider?

    Below are the most common career transitions for a Design Manager

    • Art Director
    • Creative Director
    • Design Principal
    • Vice President Design
    • Creative Specialist
    • Design Project Manager
    • Visual Designer
    • Creative Manager

    What are job titles that can be used to describe a Design Manager?

    Jobs that are very similar to a Design Manager include a Design Director, Head Of Design, Graphic Designer, Product Designer, Interior Designer, Design Specialist and Design Consultant.

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