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The differences between associate designers and freelance designers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both an associate designer and a freelance designer. Additionally, a freelance designer has an average salary of $57,260, which is higher than the $56,770 average annual salary of an associate designer.
The top three skills for an associate designer include sketch, CAD and customer service. The most important skills for a freelance designer are sketch, CSS, and HTML.
| Associate Designer | Freelance Designer | |
| Yearly salary | $56,770 | $57,260 |
| Hourly rate | $27.29 | $27.53 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 47,571 | 45,914 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
An Associate Designer helps in developing sketches on paper and in graphic design software. They usually are supervised by the junior staff and interns.
Freelance designers are creative, independent contractors who create visual and graphic designs for their clients. They develop text and illustrated versions of brands, messages, and communications with strong visible influence with their clients. Typical activities include networking, seeking projects, and negotiating prices to their customers. They manage client proposals, develop concepts, present solutions, and ensure the timely completion of projects. Freelance visual and graphic designers are creative, self-motivated as well as result and deadline oriented.
Associate designers and freelance designers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Associate Designer | Freelance Designer | |
| Average salary | $56,770 | $57,260 |
| Salary range | Between $40,000 And $80,000 | Between $39,000 And $83,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | - |
| Highest paying state | Washington | - |
| Best paying company | Apple | - |
| Best paying industry | Retail | - |
There are a few differences between an associate designer and a freelance designer in terms of educational background:
| Associate Designer | Freelance Designer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Most common major | Graphic Design | Graphic Design |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between associate designers' and freelance designers' demographics:
| Associate Designer | Freelance Designer | |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 34.8% Female, 65.2% | Male, 48.0% Female, 52.0% |
| Race ratio | 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% | 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 | 13% | 13% |