Textile design is not the same as textile production, although textile designers would benefit from working with various fabrics and materials. Textile designers create designs on textiles and they use fabrics, cloth, art and upholstery to fashion a wide range of products. So many different types of cloth and fibers are available today that many textile designers often specialize in a specific area. In many cases, textile designers work with dyes to crate new designs and patterns.

Some textile designers may branch out into pattern design. This field pertains to more then fashion design as patterns are used to create upholstery for furniture as well. Designers in this field work with knits, natural and manmade fibers, leather and manmade fabrics, and even with metals. A person who enters the field of textile design can enter from within the field or as a graduate from a design school that focuses on textile design. The person who enters this field as an employee has the knowledge of a specific fabric under his or her belt. This allows that person the advantage of understanding how that specific fabric will respond to various treatments and uses.