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Assistant designer vs graphic design assistant

The differences between assistant designers and graphic design assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both an assistant designer and a graphic design assistant. Additionally, an assistant designer has an average salary of $52,475, which is higher than the $40,835 average annual salary of a graphic design assistant.

The top three skills for an assistant designer include sketch, tech packs and adobe illustrator. The most important skills for a graphic design assistant are graphic design, CAD, and sketch.

Assistant designer vs graphic design assistant overview

Assistant DesignerGraphic Design Assistant
Yearly salary$52,475$40,835
Hourly rate$25.23$19.63
Growth rate3%3%
Number of jobs47,59854,021
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 67%Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Average age3838
Years of experience1212

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.

What does a graphic design assistant do?

Graphic Design Assistants help graphic designers in creating art, fulfilling orders, and managing the studio. They may be budding graphic designers looking for industry experience or creative professionals interested in getting into the graphic designing industry. They should be familiar with the different tools and concepts involved in graphic design. Graphic Design Assistants help lead graphic designers to complete different activities. They may assist by lining, coloring, rendering, and adding finishing touches to the designs. They may also be in charge of packaging physical art and booking shipments to buyers. Graphic Design Assistants should be able to showcase their creative prowess. They are welcome to pitch in designs, critique art, and provide input.

Assistant designer vs graphic design assistant salary

Assistant designers and graphic design assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

Assistant DesignerGraphic Design Assistant
Average salary$52,475$40,835
Salary rangeBetween $37,000 And $73,000Between $28,000 And $58,000
Highest paying CitySeattle, WANew York, NY
Highest paying stateWashingtonNew York
Best paying companyPVHGoogle
Best paying industryConstructionFinance

Differences between assistant designer and graphic design assistant education

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

Assistant DesignerGraphic Design Assistant
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 67%Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Most common majorGraphic DesignGraphic Design
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Pennsylvania

Assistant designer vs graphic design assistant demographics

Here are the differences between assistant designers' and graphic design assistants' demographics:

Assistant DesignerGraphic Design Assistant
Average age3838
Gender ratioMale, 28.3% Female, 71.7%Male, 29.4% Female, 70.6%
Race ratioBlack 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%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 Percentage13%13%

Differences between assistant designer and graphic design assistant duties and responsibilities

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

Graphic design assistant example responsibilities.

  • Administer company website using PHP coding and manage Instagram/Facebook profiles.
  • Approve lab dips, embroidery size and placement, strike offs, screen prints, and appliques.
  • Supervise production staff that used embroidery machines.
  • Produce: technical drawings, illustrations, animations, PowerPoint presentations and relate graphics for organization.
  • Design PowerPoint presentations with sound/video; replace low-resolution images with high-resolution images in presentations and client proposals.
  • Coordinate photography orders with vendors at direction of creative staff and negotiate image license contracts to maximize company profits.
  • Show more

Assistant designer vs graphic design assistant skills

Common assistant designer skills
  • Sketch, 15%
  • Tech Packs, 9%
  • Adobe Illustrator, 7%
  • Line Sheets, 5%
  • Trend Research, 4%
  • Garment Construction, 4%
Common graphic design assistant skills
  • Graphic Design, 14%
  • CAD, 6%
  • Sketch, 5%
  • Adobe Illustrator, 5%
  • Customer Service, 5%
  • Adobe Photoshop, 5%

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