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3d animator vs junior designer

The differences between 3d animators and junior designers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a 3d animator, becoming a junior designer takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a 3d animator has an average salary of $73,596, which is higher than the $53,349 average annual salary of a junior designer.

The top three skills for a 3d animator include animation, storyboards and visualization. The most important skills for a junior designer are sketch, graphic design, and adobe creative suite.

3d animator vs junior designer overview

3D AnimatorJunior Designer
Yearly salary$73,596$53,349
Hourly rate$35.38$25.65
Growth rate5%3%
Number of jobs57158,152
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 72%Bachelor's Degree, 75%
Average age4038
Years of experience212

What does a 3d animator do?

A 3D animator specializes in designing and developing 3D animation materials, adhering to the program or project's needs. They typically work together with a team of animators and producers in studios or offices. Most of the time, their responsibilities involve performing extensive research, creating drafts and storyboards, consulting with team members and editors, and performing revisions as needed. Furthermore, as a 3D animator, it is essential to maintain an active communication line with staff for a smooth and efficient workflow.

What does a junior designer do?

A junior designer is an entry-level professional who is responsible for creating high-quality designs according to the requirements of clients. Under the supervision of senior designers, junior designers must understand project requirements and projects and use various techniques to create drafts, models, and prototypes. They collaborate with team members to pitch in creative ideas and produce final design solutions that can include banners or logos. Junior designers must also take on specially design tasks and use feedback from other designers to improve.

3d animator vs junior designer salary

3d animators and junior designers have different pay scales, as shown below.

3D AnimatorJunior Designer
Average salary$73,596$53,349
Salary rangeBetween $50,000 And $108,000Between $43,000 And $65,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CASanta Rosa, CA
Highest paying stateNevadaAlaska
Best paying companyNVIDIANike
Best paying industryMediaTechnology

Differences between 3d animator and junior designer education

There are a few differences between a 3d animator and a junior designer in terms of educational background:

3D AnimatorJunior Designer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 72%Bachelor's Degree, 75%
Most common majorAnimationGraphic Design
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Pennsylvania

3d animator vs junior designer demographics

Here are the differences between 3d animators' and junior designers' demographics:

3D AnimatorJunior Designer
Average age4038
Gender ratioMale, 83.4% Female, 16.6%Male, 50.4% Female, 49.6%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 5.9% Hispanic or Latino, 14.0% Asian, 7.6% White, 67.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%Black or African American, 3.4% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 10.6% Asian, 10.4% White, 70.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage11%13%

Differences between 3d animator and junior designer duties and responsibilities

3d animator example responsibilities.

  • Manage design collaboration and storyboard creations.
  • Attend pre-production meetings and film shootings to assist directors in vfx shoot execution.
  • Animate in-game characters and cinematic sequences for transmedia projects on iOS and PC.
  • Animate monster truck 3D characters in Maya for a children's programming Youtube channel.
  • Develop episodes from concept to completion (design, color, cleanup, FX, audio editing).
  • Create the game animations for the enemies in the game as well as all VFX that appear in game.
  • Show more

Junior designer example responsibilities.

  • Manage the website and twitter page, write the blog posts and attend numerous fashion shows and sample sale rooms.
  • Coordinate REVIT teaching for inner office/branches.
  • Utilize PowerPoint to create furniture, lighting and final material selection presentations for client meetings.
  • Create PowerPoint templates to be used by clients or other upper management in proposals or live shows.
  • Sketch new designs (by hand and computer aid) add colors and make updates to carry-over styles as necessary.
  • Develop residential designs using Revit.
  • Show more

3d animator vs junior designer skills

Common 3d animator skills
  • Animation, 30%
  • Storyboards, 5%
  • Visualization, 5%
  • Motion Capture, 4%
  • Motion Graphics, 4%
  • Game Engine, 4%
Common junior designer skills
  • Sketch, 10%
  • Graphic Design, 9%
  • Adobe Creative Suite, 8%
  • Revit, 5%
  • Design Projects, 5%
  • PowerPoint, 4%

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