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The differences between apparel designers and graphic designers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become an apparel designer, becoming a graphic designer takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, an apparel designer has an average salary of $65,467, which is higher than the $49,450 average annual salary of a graphic designer.
The top three skills for an apparel designer include adobe illustrator, tech packs and sketch. The most important skills for a graphic designer are adobe creative suite, adobe photoshop, and adobe illustrator.
| Apparel Designer | Graphic Designer | |
| Yearly salary | $65,467 | $49,450 |
| Hourly rate | $31.47 | $23.77 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 46,436 | 45,625 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Average age | 37 | 38 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 12 |
Apparel designers, also known as clothing or fashion designers, conceptualize and produce items of clothing. They frequently specialize in one type of design, like active, casual, or evening wear. Typical duties include monitoring current fashion trends and forecast future ones, sketching new designs, choosing patterns and fabrics to utilize in garments, and supervising production. They may present items to creative directors, clients, or retailers to determine if the garments are to be conventionally designed or mass-produced.
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.
Apparel designers and graphic designers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Apparel Designer | Graphic Designer | |
| Average salary | $65,467 | $49,450 |
| Salary range | Between $40,000 And $105,000 | Between $34,000 And $69,000 |
| Highest paying City | Richmond, CA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | Nevada | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Fanatics | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Technology |
There are a few differences between an apparel designer and a graphic designer in terms of educational background:
| Apparel Designer | Graphic Designer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Most common major | Graphic Design | Graphic Design |
| Most common college | Cornell University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between apparel designers' and graphic designers' demographics:
| Apparel Designer | Graphic Designer | |
| Average age | 37 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 32.8% Female, 67.2% | Male, 49.8% Female, 50.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 7.3% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 11.9% Asian, 11.6% White, 63.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | 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 | 18% | 13% |