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The differences between color and materials designers and freelance 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 a freelance designer. Additionally, a color and materials designer has an average salary of $83,086, which is higher than the $57,260 average annual salary of a freelance designer.
The top three skills for a color and materials designer include photoshop, apparel and CMF. The most important skills for a freelance designer are sketch, CSS, and HTML.
| Color And Materials Designer | Freelance Designer | |
| Yearly salary | $83,086 | $57,260 |
| Hourly rate | $39.95 | $27.53 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 51,032 | 45,914 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| 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.
Freelance designers are creative, independent contractors who create visual and graphic designs for their clients. They develop text and illustrated versions of brands, messages, and communications with strong visible influence with their clients. Typical activities include networking, seeking projects, and negotiating prices to their customers. They manage client proposals, develop concepts, present solutions, and ensure the timely completion of projects. Freelance visual and graphic designers are creative, self-motivated as well as result and deadline oriented.
Color and materials designers and freelance designers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Color And Materials Designer | Freelance Designer | |
| Average salary | $83,086 | $57,260 |
| Salary range | Between $58,000 And $117,000 | Between $39,000 And $83,000 |
| Highest paying City | Redmond, WA | - |
| Highest paying state | Maryland | - |
| Best paying company | Microsoft | - |
| Best paying industry | - | - |
There are a few differences between a color and materials designer and a freelance designer in terms of educational background:
| Color And Materials Designer | Freelance Designer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| 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 freelance designers' demographics:
| Color And Materials Designer | Freelance Designer | |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 52.5% Female, 47.5% | Male, 48.0% Female, 52.0% |
| 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% |