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The differences between associate designers and visual 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 visual designer. Additionally, a visual designer has an average salary of $86,495, 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 visual designer are sketch, visual design, and graphic design.
| Associate Designer | Visual Designer | |
| Yearly salary | $56,770 | $86,495 |
| Hourly rate | $27.29 | $41.58 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 47,571 | 46,815 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 75% |
| 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.
A visual designer is someone who creates designs for a variety of platforms such as Internet and intranet sites, games, and wearables. The duties of visual designers depend on the specific project or industry in which they are working. Duties include creating user-centered interaction models, working with information technology and business teams to resolve complex issues, and designing logos, icons, and infographics. The qualifications to become a visual designer include possessing strong problem-solving, communication, and negotiation skills and obtaining a bachelor's degree in design.
Associate designers and visual designers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Associate Designer | Visual Designer | |
| Average salary | $56,770 | $86,495 |
| Salary range | Between $40,000 And $80,000 | Between $51,000 And $143,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Bruno, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | California |
| Best paying company | Apple | ByteDance |
| Best paying industry | Retail | Start-up |
There are a few differences between an associate designer and a visual designer in terms of educational background:
| Associate Designer | Visual Designer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 75% |
| Most common major | Graphic Design | Graphic Design |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between associate designers' and visual designers' demographics:
| Associate Designer | Visual Designer | |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 34.8% Female, 65.2% | Male, 53.1% Female, 46.9% |
| 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% |