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Artist vs graphic designer/production

The differences between artists and graphic designer/productions 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 $48,619 average annual salary of a graphic designer/production.

The top three skills for an artist include maya, adobe photoshop and customer service. The most important skills for a graphic designer/production are graphic design, adobe photoshop, and adobe illustrator.

Artist vs graphic designer/production overview

ArtistGraphic Designer/Production
Yearly salary$68,690$48,619
Hourly rate$33.02$23.37
Growth rate6%3%
Number of jobs3,87095,831
Job satisfaction4-
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 59%Bachelor's Degree, 63%
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 a graphic designer/production do?

A Graphics Designer in production is the person in charge of designing and interpreting ideas pointed out by the client or the company. The graphics designer must use market standard applications and techniques to produce attention-grabbing designs intended to market a product, service, or company. Graphic designers are an integral part of a company's digital marketing, especially over the internet. The graphic designer must have a good eye for style, typesetting, and the use of colors.

Artist vs graphic designer/production salary

Artists and graphic designer/productions have different pay scales, as shown below.

ArtistGraphic Designer/Production
Average salary$68,690$48,619
Salary rangeBetween $42,000 And $110,000Between $35,000 And $67,000
Highest paying CitySan Rafael, CAMenlo Park, CA
Highest paying stateCaliforniaMaryland
Best paying companyMetaOptimum Nutrition
Best paying industryTechnologyTechnology

Differences between artist and graphic designer/production education

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

ArtistGraphic Designer/Production
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 59%Bachelor's Degree, 63%
Most common majorFine ArtsGraphic Design
Most common collegeHarvard UniversityUniversity of Pennsylvania

Artist vs graphic designer/production demographics

Here are the differences between artists' and graphic designer/productions' demographics:

ArtistGraphic Designer/Production
Average age4038
Gender ratioMale, 45.2% Female, 54.8%Male, 57.0% Female, 43.0%
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 graphic designer/production 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

Graphic designer/production example responsibilities.

  • Manage production of products; custom banners, t-shirts, satin flags, from concept to final product.
  • Manage various publications including catalogs, catalog inserts, brochures, mailers and advertising material.
  • Develop and update conference materials, including PowerPoint presentations, posters, handouts, badges, table tents, and folders.
  • Produce corporate identity systems and collateral print materials, print advertising, product/capabilities brochures, direct mail and newsletters.
  • Produce daily, weekly and monthly newsletters in both print and HTML.
  • Create cleaner HTML email templates and help others within the group improve their HTML skills.
  • Show more

Artist vs graphic designer/production skills

Common artist skills
  • Maya, 13%
  • Adobe Photoshop, 8%
  • Customer Service, 7%
  • Graphic Design, 7%
  • Photography, 7%
  • VFX, 6%
Common graphic designer/production skills
  • Graphic Design, 14%
  • Adobe Photoshop, 9%
  • Adobe Illustrator, 8%
  • Art Direction, 6%
  • Adobe Indesign, 5%
  • Signage, 5%

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