Also called: Design System Lead, UI Systems Designer
Builds and maintains the shared library of buttons, colors, and rules that keeps a company's apps and websites consistent.
A design systems designer might spend the day redesigning a button component so it works in dark mode and for screen readers, then document how other designers should use it. They meet with engineers to make sure the coded version matches the design exactly.
Approximate; similar to product designers at mid-to-large tech companies.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 4 years after high school. Bachelor's in design or related field plus several years as a product or UI designer.
Ways in: 4-year college, Self-taught. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Graphic Design, Human-Computer Interaction.
Growing faster than average. More companies invest in design systems as they scale their products.
Medium risk for 10 years. AI speeds building and documenting components; deciding the rules, naming and governance across teams stays strategic work.
Classes: AP Computer Science Principles, Graphic design CTE, Geometry.
Official data: O*NET occupation 15-1255.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.