Architects designed your house, your school, the places you work and shop, and the theater where you watch movies. Designers created the covers of your CDs, the logo on your favorite sports clothes, envisioned the magazines you read, picked the colors you’re wearing, and chose the interior features and finishes in the shopping mall near you. Architects and designers have a huge impact on the environment and culture in which we live.

Architecture and design are both artistic and technical professions. In addition to mastering computer-aided design and drafting (CADD) technology, drafting, sketching, and model making, architects must thoroughly understand building and zoning regulations and ordinances; building materials and construction methods; and bids and contracts. Designers need to know about form, balance and composition, color, typography, the materials (paper, fabric, plastic, metal, for example) they are working in, and be proficient in the computer programs currently used in the industry, such as QuarkXPress, InDesign, PageMaker, Illustrator, and Photoshop. They must also be familiar with printing and reproduction techniques and methods.

Architects and designers work closely with clients and consultants and often in teams of many other people. Therefore, they must possess strong communication skills and the ability to visually communicate their ideas to clients. Other crucial competencies include conceptualizing and understanding spatial relationships, artistic drawing, creativity, accuracy and detail, organizational and leadership skills, mathematical ability, and, very importantly, an ability to accept criticism. In these creative fields, the aesthetic choices are highly subjective, and architects and designers must be prepared to respond to the needs and tastes of their clients.

Architects and interior designers work for architectural firms and in a wide variety of other companies, including:
general building contractors
large corporations
real estate developers
government agencies responsible for housing, planning, community development, or building and maintaining roads, highways, bridges, and tunnels
colleges and universities
preservation firms
engineering firms
interior design firms

Designers can be free agents or work in many different types of companies:
advertising agencies
design firms
commercial art and reproduction firms
printing and publishing firms
manufacturing firms
department stores
government agencies
wholesale and retail trade establishments
public relations firms

Training and Licensing

In most states, architects must obtain their Master of Architecture professional degree from one of about 110 schools of architecture with programs accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB). However, state architectural registration boards set their own standards, so graduation from a non NAAB-accredited program may meet the education requirement for licensure in some states.

Designers generally need a Bachelor of Fine Arts from an accredited college, university, or art school. They also can choose to earn a Master of Fine Arts degree.

Employment Outlook

Employment for architects is expected to grow moderately with expansion tied to growth in the construction industry.

Employment for designers is expected to grow moderately, due to more emphasis placed on visual appeal in product design, advertising, marketing, and television.