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The differences between animation artists and graphic designers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become an animation artist, becoming a graphic designer takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, an animation artist has an average salary of $80,929, which is higher than the $49,450 average annual salary of a graphic designer.
The top three skills for an animation artist include animation, maya and character animation. The most important skills for a graphic designer are adobe creative suite, adobe photoshop, and adobe illustrator.
| Animation Artist | Graphic Designer | |
| Yearly salary | $80,929 | $49,450 |
| Hourly rate | $38.91 | $23.77 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 3,822 | 45,625 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Average age | 40 | 38 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 12 |
Animation artists or animators are skilled professionals who create multiple images that form animation, which can be seen in movies, commercials, television programs, and video games. To produce those illusions of movements, animation artists must use several animation software such as Maya, AfterEffects, and Photoshop. They must collaborate with graphic designers and editors to create animations for the entire show. Animation artists must also create high-quality animations by producing expressive characters that can portray a wide range of emotions.
Graphic designers are visual communicators who create graphic ideas to deliver a message through art and images which inspire, inform, and motivate consumers with the use of computer software, especially Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign or by hand. They have the ability to design stunning illustrations that are easily understood, even without a lot of thinking or based on the demand of their clients. It is very crucial to them as well to be flexible and to stay on top of the design trends. They create websites, posters, packaging, logos, advertising, and marketing materials, depending on the nature of the business.
Animation artists and graphic designers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Animation Artist | Graphic Designer | |
| Average salary | $80,929 | $49,450 |
| Salary range | Between $52,000 And $125,000 | Between $34,000 And $69,000 |
| Highest paying City | Las Vegas, NV | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | Nevada | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Microsoft | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Media | Technology |
There are a few differences between an animation artist and a graphic designer in terms of educational background:
| Animation Artist | Graphic Designer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Most common major | Animation | Graphic Design |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between animation artists' and graphic designers' demographics:
| Animation Artist | Graphic Designer | |
| Average age | 40 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 76.4% Female, 23.6% | Male, 49.8% Female, 50.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.4% Unknown, 5.9% Hispanic or Latino, 14.3% Asian, 7.7% White, 66.9% 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 Percentage | 11% | 13% |