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The differences between animation artists and visual 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 visual designer takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a visual designer has an average salary of $86,495, which is higher than the $80,929 average annual salary of an animation artist.
The top three skills for an animation artist include animation, maya and character animation. The most important skills for a visual designer are sketch, visual design, and graphic design.
| Animation Artist | Visual Designer | |
| Yearly salary | $80,929 | $86,495 |
| Hourly rate | $38.91 | $41.58 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 3,822 | 46,815 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 75% |
| 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.
A visual designer is someone who creates designs for a variety of platforms such as Internet and intranet sites, games, and wearables. The duties of visual designers depend on the specific project or industry in which they are working. Duties include creating user-centered interaction models, working with information technology and business teams to resolve complex issues, and designing logos, icons, and infographics. The qualifications to become a visual designer include possessing strong problem-solving, communication, and negotiation skills and obtaining a bachelor's degree in design.
Animation artists and visual designers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Animation Artist | Visual Designer | |
| Average salary | $80,929 | $86,495 |
| Salary range | Between $52,000 And $125,000 | Between $51,000 And $143,000 |
| Highest paying City | Las Vegas, NV | San Bruno, CA |
| Highest paying state | Nevada | California |
| Best paying company | Microsoft | ByteDance |
| Best paying industry | Media | Start-up |
There are a few differences between an animation artist and a visual designer in terms of educational background:
| Animation Artist | Visual Designer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 75% |
| Most common major | Animation | Graphic Design |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between animation artists' and visual designers' demographics:
| Animation Artist | Visual Designer | |
| Average age | 40 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 76.4% Female, 23.6% | Male, 53.1% Female, 46.9% |
| 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% |