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The differences between animators and 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 animator, becoming a designer takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, an animator has an average salary of $76,853, which is higher than the $66,347 average annual salary of a designer.
The top three skills for an animator include animation, motion capture and storyboards. The most important skills for a designer are sketch, customer service, and graphic design.
| Animator | Designer | |
| Yearly salary | $76,853 | $66,347 |
| Hourly rate | $36.95 | $31.90 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 551 | 52,433 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Average age | 40 | 38 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 12 |
The animators are specialized artists who conceptualized ideas from their creative minds with technology applications. Animators cater to different specialties depending on their expertise. They used multiple techniques and tools to create a digital masterpiece. An animator is required to have an excellent time and project management skills to meet deadlines. They should also be detail-oriented and technology savvy to keep up with the latest trend in the digital market. Animators are required to have regular communication with the respective department for the updates or adjustments as needed.
A designer is someone who creates a master plan of the look or workings of something before it will be made. It could be tangible or intangible objects, products, procedures, laws, events, games, graphics, services, and even experiences. Designers are creative thinkers with a great eye to configure the skeletal and structural properties of the targeted output. They work in several fields, such as fashion, architecture, web graphics, and user experience. In spite of the variety of professionals in the design industry, all of them are artistic, passionate, inspiring, and emotionally connected to their projects and brands.
Animators and designers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Animator | Designer | |
| Average salary | $76,853 | $66,347 |
| Salary range | Between $52,000 And $112,000 | Between $45,000 And $97,000 |
| Highest paying City | Las Vegas, NV | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | Nevada | Washington |
| Best paying company | Meta | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Media | Technology |
There are a few differences between an animator and a designer in terms of educational background:
| Animator | Designer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Most common major | Animation | Graphic Design |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between animators' and designers' demographics:
| Animator | Designer | |
| Average age | 40 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 71.9% Female, 28.1% | Male, 56.9% Female, 43.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 5.8% Hispanic or Latino, 13.9% Asian, 7.5% White, 67.7% 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% |