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Associate designer vs student graphic designer

The differences between associate designers and student graphic 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 student graphic designer. Additionally, an associate designer has an average salary of $56,770, which is higher than the $27,337 average annual salary of a student graphic designer.

The top three skills for an associate designer include sketch, CAD and customer service. The most important skills for a student graphic designer are graphic design, event posters, and GPA.

Associate designer vs student graphic designer overview

Associate DesignerStudent Graphic Designer
Yearly salary$56,770$27,337
Hourly rate$27.29$13.14
Growth rate3%3%
Number of jobs47,57155,508
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 67%Bachelor's Degree, 76%
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 student graphic designer do?

Student Graphic Designer is committed to embroidering the school's promotional and recreational work. He/she must be studying artistic skills to design the school's portfolio. Student graphic designer does prepare graphics for flyers, pamphlets, journals, magazines, posters, and brochures.

Associate designer vs student graphic designer salary

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

Associate DesignerStudent Graphic Designer
Average salary$56,770$27,337
Salary rangeBetween $40,000 And $80,000Between $21,000 And $34,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CA-
Highest paying stateWashington-
Best paying companyApple-
Best paying industryRetail-

Differences between associate designer and student graphic designer education

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

Associate DesignerStudent Graphic Designer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 67%Bachelor's Degree, 76%
Most common majorGraphic DesignGraphic Design
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaCarnegie Mellon University

Associate designer vs student graphic designer demographics

Here are the differences between associate designers' and student graphic designers' demographics:

Associate DesignerStudent Graphic Designer
Average age3838
Gender ratioMale, 34.8% Female, 65.2%Male, 49.0% Female, 51.0%
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 student graphic 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.
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Student graphic designer example responsibilities.

  • Research lead to sketch iteration, which lead to full scale prototypes.
  • Create and manage digital media content for department and resource center websites, Facebook, and Instagram pages.
  • Manage data migrations and SharePoint integration for corporate Intranet with external consultants.
  • Design closet units and formations in 2D and 3D using SolidEdge, AutoCAD, TeamCenter.
  • Create and maintain digital 3D and 2D design packages using Pro/E and AutoCAD design tools.
  • Create package design, branding, and doing photography for clients that are starting up small businesses.
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Associate designer vs student graphic designer skills

Common associate designer skills
  • Sketch, 10%
  • CAD, 8%
  • Customer Service, 7%
  • Design Projects, 4%
  • PowerPoint, 4%
  • Space Planning, 4%
Common student graphic designer skills
  • Graphic Design, 13%
  • Event Posters, 8%
  • GPA, 7%
  • Web Banners, 6%
  • Adobe Illustrator, 5%
  • Adobe Creative Suite, 5%

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