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Associate graphic designer vs visual designer

The differences between associate graphic 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 graphic designer and a visual designer. Additionally, a visual designer has an average salary of $86,495, which is higher than the $52,393 average annual salary of an associate graphic designer.

The top three skills for an associate graphic designer include graphic design, adobe creative suite and powerpoint. The most important skills for a visual designer are sketch, visual design, and graphic design.

Associate graphic designer vs visual designer overview

Associate Graphic DesignerVisual Designer
Yearly salary$52,393$86,495
Hourly rate$25.19$41.58
Growth rate3%3%
Number of jobs45,17346,815
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 72%Bachelor's Degree, 75%
Average age3838
Years of experience1212

What does an associate graphic designer do?

Associate graphic designers are entry-level graphic designers. They may be fresh graduates or new to the field. Associate graphic designers should be creative and innovative. They should be able to think outside the box and bring fresh ideas to the company. They must also be trainable and willing to learn. Associate graphic designers may be asked to assist senior graphic designers in fulfilling orders or tasks. They may assist in creating drafts, rendering finished products, and reviewing orders. Once they have proven their skills, they may be assigned to do bigger tasks, create and fulfill orders, or even lead projects.

What does a visual designer do?

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 graphic designer vs visual designer salary

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

Associate Graphic DesignerVisual Designer
Average salary$52,393$86,495
Salary rangeBetween $37,000 And $73,000Between $51,000 And $143,000
Highest paying CityWashington, DCSan Bruno, CA
Highest paying stateWashingtonCalifornia
Best paying companyYahooByteDance
Best paying industryTechnologyStart-up

Differences between associate graphic designer and visual designer education

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

Associate Graphic DesignerVisual Designer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 72%Bachelor's Degree, 75%
Most common majorGraphic DesignGraphic Design
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Pennsylvania

Associate graphic designer vs visual designer demographics

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

Associate Graphic DesignerVisual Designer
Average age3838
Gender ratioMale, 46.5% Female, 53.5%Male, 53.1% Female, 46.9%
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 graphic designer and visual designer duties and responsibilities

Associate graphic designer example responsibilities.

  • Manage an in-house advertisement/mailer for a vendor.
  • Design and print business cards, flyers, banners, booklets and other printing materials.
  • Create slide show presentations using PowerPoint.
  • Design print and web advertisements, twitter page, and iPhone wallpaper.
  • Maintain office computer systems (mac and pc), and digital press equipment.
  • Work closely with web design team to create HTML coding for 120 web pages.
  • Show more

Visual designer example responsibilities.

  • Design, project manage, and build retail stores from sketch to completion.
  • Manage website redesign including copywriting and updating all website content.
  • Produce and deliver HTML5, CSS3 and graphical items.
  • Design team brand and logo for organization.
  • Provide approved design in HTML5 to web developer for publishing.
  • Utilize expertise in Photoshop CS6, HTML5/CSS, Squarespace, and JavaScript.
  • Show more

Associate graphic designer vs visual designer skills

Common associate graphic designer skills
  • Graphic Design, 24%
  • Adobe Creative Suite, 6%
  • PowerPoint, 6%
  • Photography, 6%
  • Adobe Illustrator, 5%
  • Adobe Photoshop, 5%
Common visual designer skills
  • Sketch, 19%
  • Visual Design, 8%
  • Graphic Design, 5%
  • UI, 5%
  • User Experience, 4%
  • Visualization, 4%

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