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Artist vs assistant designer

The differences between artists and assistant designers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an artist has an average salary of $68,690, which is higher than the $52,475 average annual salary of an assistant designer.

The top three skills for an artist include maya, adobe photoshop and customer service. The most important skills for an assistant designer are sketch, tech packs, and adobe illustrator.

Artist vs assistant designer overview

ArtistAssistant Designer
Yearly salary$68,690$52,475
Hourly rate$33.02$25.23
Growth rate6%3%
Number of jobs3,87047,598
Job satisfaction4-
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 59%Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Average age4038
Years of experience-12

What does an artist do?

An Artist specializes in creating various artworks or prose; the audience can vary from individuals or the general public. An artist's responsibility depends on the industry, company, or position where they are assigned. However, most of the time, Artists are expected to work under specific guidelines, deliver materials in a required format within an allotted time and perform revisions according to what is preferred by an editor or client. Furthermore, independent artists may work freelance and receive commissions for their craft.

What does an assistant designer do?

Assistant designers act as administrative support to senior designers in creating innovative designs by negotiating with the vendors about the prices of decoration materials. They are keen and up-to-date to the latest fashion and trends by conducting surveys and research. They are exceptionally creative and innovative and have excellent IT skills as they use illustration, typography, and photography layouts in the design process. However, being an assistant designer, career development relies on his/her /her specialism, reputation, and experience depending on how its opportunities are influenced by the company he/she works for.

Artist vs assistant designer salary

Artists and assistant designers have different pay scales, as shown below.

ArtistAssistant Designer
Average salary$68,690$52,475
Salary rangeBetween $42,000 And $110,000Between $37,000 And $73,000
Highest paying CitySan Rafael, CASeattle, WA
Highest paying stateCaliforniaWashington
Best paying companyMetaPVH
Best paying industryTechnologyConstruction

Differences between artist and assistant designer education

There are a few differences between an artist and an assistant designer in terms of educational background:

ArtistAssistant Designer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 59%Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Most common majorFine ArtsGraphic Design
Most common collegeHarvard UniversityUniversity of Pennsylvania

Artist vs assistant designer demographics

Here are the differences between artists' and assistant designers' demographics:

ArtistAssistant Designer
Average age4038
Gender ratioMale, 45.2% Female, 54.8%Male, 28.3% Female, 71.7%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 14.1% Asian, 7.6% White, 67.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%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 Percentage11%13%

Differences between artist and assistant designer duties and responsibilities

Artist example responsibilities.

  • Manage studio workload and advise print direction to in-house and freelance cad artists.
  • Manage online product catalog using Dreamweaver.
  • Assist customers with product selection and process POS transactions.
  • Provide comparative analysis on traditional vs. Mac vs. PC production.
  • Animate in-game characters, user interface assets and particle effects.
  • Own & operate a specialize faux painting, mural and art business.
  • Show more

Assistant designer example responsibilities.

  • Develop marketing and brand awareness initiatives through social media outlets; create and manage company Facebook and Houzz profiles.
  • Direct yarn development team.- propose PLM transitional initiatives.- Collaboratively work to evaluate and elevate in-house design process efficiency.
  • Work in mac format adobe suite programs and pc format u4ia.
  • Generate and update style numbers and BOM's in WebPDM system BlueCherry.
  • Research fashion, textile, make up, accessory, and footwear trends.
  • Acquire in depth training in the PLM and used this system on a daily basis.
  • Show more

Artist vs assistant designer skills

Common artist skills
  • Maya, 13%
  • Adobe Photoshop, 8%
  • Customer Service, 7%
  • Graphic Design, 7%
  • Photography, 7%
  • VFX, 6%
Common assistant designer skills
  • Sketch, 15%
  • Tech Packs, 9%
  • Adobe Illustrator, 7%
  • Line Sheets, 5%
  • Trend Research, 4%
  • Garment Construction, 4%

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