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Associate designer vs junior designer

The differences between associate designers and junior 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 junior designer. Additionally, an associate designer has an average salary of $56,770, which is higher than the $53,349 average annual salary of a junior designer.

The top three skills for an associate designer include sketch, CAD and customer service. The most important skills for a junior designer are sketch, graphic design, and adobe creative suite.

Associate designer vs junior designer overview

Associate DesignerJunior Designer
Yearly salary$56,770$53,349
Hourly rate$27.29$25.65
Growth rate3%3%
Number of jobs47,57158,152
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 67%Bachelor's Degree, 75%
Average age3838
Years of experience1212

What does an associate designer do?

An Associate Designer helps in developing sketches on paper and in graphic design software. They usually are supervised by the junior staff and interns.

What does a junior designer do?

A junior designer is an entry-level professional who is responsible for creating high-quality designs according to the requirements of clients. Under the supervision of senior designers, junior designers must understand project requirements and projects and use various techniques to create drafts, models, and prototypes. They collaborate with team members to pitch in creative ideas and produce final design solutions that can include banners or logos. Junior designers must also take on specially design tasks and use feedback from other designers to improve.

Associate designer vs junior designer salary

Associate designers and junior designers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Associate DesignerJunior Designer
Average salary$56,770$53,349
Salary rangeBetween $40,000 And $80,000Between $43,000 And $65,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CASanta Rosa, CA
Highest paying stateWashingtonAlaska
Best paying companyAppleNike
Best paying industryRetailTechnology

Differences between associate designer and junior designer education

There are a few differences between an associate designer and a junior designer in terms of educational background:

Associate DesignerJunior Designer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 67%Bachelor's Degree, 75%
Most common majorGraphic DesignGraphic Design
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Pennsylvania

Associate designer vs junior designer demographics

Here are the differences between associate designers' and junior designers' demographics:

Associate DesignerJunior Designer
Average age3838
Gender ratioMale, 34.8% Female, 65.2%Male, 50.4% Female, 49.6%
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 associate designer and junior designer duties and responsibilities

Associate designer example responsibilities.

  • Create & manage PPC advertising campaigns and perform basic SEO maintenance to improve web traffic.
  • Select all fabrics and trims, develop styles from first sketch through production, manage sample room, and extensive fittings.
  • Develop marketing and brand awareness initiatives through social media outlets; create and manage company Facebook and Houzz profiles.
  • Design print collateral such as brochures and promotional products
  • Establish new grade rules in PLM.
  • Operate POS & other computerize cash registers.
  • Show more

Junior designer example responsibilities.

  • Manage the website and twitter page, write the blog posts and attend numerous fashion shows and sample sale rooms.
  • Coordinate REVIT teaching for inner office/branches.
  • Utilize PowerPoint to create furniture, lighting and final material selection presentations for client meetings.
  • Create PowerPoint templates to be used by clients or other upper management in proposals or live shows.
  • Sketch new designs (by hand and computer aid) add colors and make updates to carry-over styles as necessary.
  • Develop residential designs using Revit.
  • Show more

Associate designer vs junior designer skills

Common associate designer skills
  • Sketch, 10%
  • CAD, 8%
  • Customer Service, 7%
  • Design Projects, 4%
  • PowerPoint, 4%
  • Space Planning, 4%
Common junior designer skills
  • Sketch, 10%
  • Graphic Design, 9%
  • Adobe Creative Suite, 8%
  • Revit, 5%
  • Design Projects, 5%
  • PowerPoint, 4%

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