Textile designer
Create designs and patterns for woven, knitted and printed fabrics used to make products such as clothes and furniture.
Also known as: fabric designer
About the job
Salary (before tax)
Entry
£22,000
Experienced
£40,000
In this job, new workers in Scotland start around £22,000 per year. Experienced workers can earn up to £40,000.
Source:
National Careers ServiceWhat it's like
You would create designs and patterns for woven, knitted and printed fabrics used to make products such as clothes and furniture.
You would:
Make sketches by hand or on computer, using computer aided design (CAD) software
Adjust designs until they meet customers' requirements
Make up samples or have them made by technicians
Research design trends to decide what is likely to sell
Work closely with colleagues as part of a design team
Meet with clients and technical, marketing and buying staff
Keep up to date with developments in manufacturing technology
You could work for a manufacturing, retail or design company. You could also choose to freelance.
As a freelance designer you would normally split your time between designing and marketing your work. You may also need to supplement your income with other types of work, such as teaching.
Hours
As a textile designer with a manufacturer, retailer or design company you would usually work 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday, with additional hours at busy periods. As a freelance designer you would choose your own hours.
Environment
A lot of your time will be spent at a computer, designing fabrics and manipulating patterns. You may sometimes go to meetings and trade fairs outside your place of work.
Travel
You may need to travel within the UK or overseas, for example to exhibit at trade fairs, or to visit clients and manufacturers.
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Meta skills
Here are some of the meta skills you'll need to do this job.
- taking initiative
- attention to detail
- researching
- evaluating
- designing
- creative
- working with technology
- verbal communication
- cooperating
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