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The differences between character animators and graphics specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a character animator, becoming a graphics specialist takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a character animator has an average salary of $72,126, which is higher than the $56,007 average annual salary of a graphics specialist.
The top three skills for a character animator include animation, maya and character animation. The most important skills for a graphics specialist are graphic design, adobe illustrator, and adobe photoshop.
| Character Animator | Graphics Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $72,126 | $56,007 |
| Hourly rate | $34.68 | $26.93 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 416 | 12,267 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Average age | 40 | 38 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 12 |
A character animator specializes in developing life-like character designs for film, television, advertisements, and video games using special animation software. Their job usually entails understanding project requirements, conducting research, developing drafts and models, adding different effects to enhance designs, presenting designs to lead animators, and performing revisions when necessary. They are also responsible for adhering to deadlines and budgets, producing reports, and solving issues and concerns. Moreover, a character animator usually works in a team setting, which requires an open and transparent line of communication for a successful workflow.
A graphics specialist is an expert at conceptualizing and developing visual art for businesses or individuals, typically for marketing or information purposes. Moreover, there are also opportunities for employment in the web and media industry. As a graphics specialist, their responsibilities include liaising with clients to identify their needs, understanding the purpose and message of the project, developing proposals, coordinating with team members, and conducting revisions as needed, all while adhering to the goals and deadlines set by the client or management.
Character animators and graphics specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Character Animator | Graphics Specialist | |
| Average salary | $72,126 | $56,007 |
| Salary range | Between $46,000 And $111,000 | Between $38,000 And $81,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Nevada | Washington |
| Best paying company | The Walt Disney Company | ZeniMax Media |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Finance |
There are a few differences between a character animator and a graphics specialist in terms of educational background:
| Character Animator | Graphics Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Most common major | Animation | Graphic Design |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between character animators' and graphics specialists' demographics:
| Character Animator | Graphics Specialist | |
| Average age | 40 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 74.4% Female, 25.6% | Male, 53.4% Female, 46.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 5.8% Hispanic or Latino, 14.0% Asian, 7.5% White, 67.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | 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 | 11% | 13% |