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The differences between associate designers and senior 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 senior designer. Additionally, a senior designer has an average salary of $102,058, 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 senior designer are sketch, graphic design, and human centered design.
| Associate Designer | Senior Designer | |
| Yearly salary | $56,770 | $102,058 |
| Hourly rate | $27.29 | $49.07 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 47,571 | 47,503 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 1 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| 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.
Senior designers are typically in charge of realizing design solutions that adhere to the business goals and marketing strategies of an organization. They should be comfortable managing graphics designers and making decisions. They must have extensive knowledge of styles, layout techniques, and graphic design while also managing projects and people effectively. Senior designers have a variety of duties, which include delegating tasks to junior designers, maintaining high-quality standards, and collaborating to improve digital creativity standards.
Associate designers and senior designers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Associate Designer | Senior Designer | |
| Average salary | $56,770 | $102,058 |
| Salary range | Between $40,000 And $80,000 | Between $72,000 And $143,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Washington |
| Best paying company | Apple | Lyft |
| Best paying industry | Retail | Media |
There are a few differences between an associate designer and a senior designer in terms of educational background:
| Associate Designer | Senior Designer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Most common major | Graphic Design | Graphic Design |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between associate designers' and senior designers' demographics:
| Associate Designer | Senior Designer | |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 34.8% Female, 65.2% | Male, 71.0% Female, 29.0% |
| 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% |