Employment Designers held about 302,000 jobs in 1992. Salaried designers are found in a number of different industries, depending on their design specialty. Most industrial designers, for example, work for consulting firms or for large corporations. Interior designers usually work for design or architectural firms, department stores and home furnishing stores, or hotel and restaurant chains. Many do freelance work full time, part time, or in addition to a salaried job.
Set designers work for theater companies and film and television production companies.
Fashion designers generally work for textile, apparel, and pattern manufacturers, or for fashion salons, high-fashion department stores, and specialty shops. Some work in the entertainment industry, designing costumes for theater, dance, television, and movies. Most floral designers work for retail flower shops but growing numbers work in floral departments of grocery stores. Training, Other Qualifications, and Advancement Creativity is crucial in all design occupations. People in this field must have a strong snese of color, an eye for detail, a sense of balance and proportion, and sensitivity to beauty.