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The differences between apparel designers and visual merchandisers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an apparel designer has an average salary of $65,467, which is higher than the $38,037 average annual salary of a visual merchandiser.
The top three skills for an apparel designer include adobe illustrator, tech packs and sketch. The most important skills for a visual merchandiser are customer service, ladders, and sales floor.
| Apparel Designer | Visual Merchandiser | |
| Yearly salary | $65,467 | $38,037 |
| Hourly rate | $31.47 | $18.29 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 46,436 | 74,351 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 57% |
| Average age | 37 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 6 | - |
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.
A visual merchandiser is responsible for arranging product displays at retail outlets, attracting customers to purchase the items. Visual merchandisers should be updated with the latest trends in the market to prioritize retail displays and floor plans. They must also be knowledgeable on product information to assist customers with their inquiries and concerns. Visual merchandisers should be creative in setting up the uniformity of the store's visuals within the budget goals. The designs must be appealing enough to drive the customers around the premises, potentially generating revenues and increasing profitability.
Apparel designers and visual merchandisers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Apparel Designer | Visual Merchandiser | |
| Average salary | $65,467 | $38,037 |
| Salary range | Between $40,000 And $105,000 | Between $27,000 And $53,000 |
| Highest paying City | Richmond, CA | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | Nevada | New York |
| Best paying company | Fanatics | RH |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Retail |
There are a few differences between an apparel designer and a visual merchandiser in terms of educational background:
| Apparel Designer | Visual Merchandiser | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 57% |
| Most common major | Graphic Design | Specialized Sales And Merchandising |
| Most common college | Cornell University | - |
Here are the differences between apparel designers' and visual merchandisers' demographics:
| Apparel Designer | Visual Merchandiser | |
| Average age | 37 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 32.8% Female, 67.2% | Male, 27.3% Female, 72.7% |
| 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, 8.5% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 13.8% Asian, 5.3% White, 66.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 18% | 17% |