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The differences between color and materials designers and assistant designers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a color and materials designer and an assistant designer. Additionally, a color and materials designer has an average salary of $83,086, which is higher than the $52,475 average annual salary of an assistant designer.
The top three skills for a color and materials designer include photoshop, apparel and CMF. The most important skills for an assistant designer are sketch, tech packs, and adobe illustrator.
| Color And Materials Designer | Assistant Designer | |
| Yearly salary | $83,086 | $52,475 |
| Hourly rate | $39.95 | $25.23 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 51,032 | 47,598 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
Color and materials designers are skilled professionals who are responsible for conceiving and executing designs related to colors and materials used to produce the finished products. These designers must create graphics such as icons and logos by using programs like Photoshop and Illustrator. In the apparel industry, color, and materials, designers must learn the technical aspects of construction techniques and fabrications for all types of apparel. They must also work with various vendors to perform screen printing on t-shirts and produce textile designs for sales representatives.
Assistant designers act as administrative support to senior designers in creating innovative designs by negotiating with the vendors about the prices of decoration materials. They are keen and up-to-date to the latest fashion and trends by conducting surveys and research. They are exceptionally creative and innovative and have excellent IT skills as they use illustration, typography, and photography layouts in the design process. However, being an assistant designer, career development relies on his/her /her specialism, reputation, and experience depending on how its opportunities are influenced by the company he/she works for.
Color and materials designers and assistant designers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Color And Materials Designer | Assistant Designer | |
| Average salary | $83,086 | $52,475 |
| Salary range | Between $58,000 And $117,000 | Between $37,000 And $73,000 |
| Highest paying City | Redmond, WA | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | Maryland | Washington |
| Best paying company | Microsoft | PVH |
| Best paying industry | - | Construction |
There are a few differences between a color and materials designer and an assistant designer in terms of educational background:
| Color And Materials Designer | Assistant Designer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | 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 color and materials designers' and assistant designers' demographics:
| Color And Materials Designer | Assistant Designer | |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 52.5% Female, 47.5% | Male, 28.3% Female, 71.7% |
| 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% |