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The differences between color and materials designers and head 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 head designer. Additionally, a head designer has an average salary of $116,986, which is higher than the $83,086 average annual salary of a color and materials designer.
The top three skills for a color and materials designer include photoshop, apparel and CMF. The most important skills for a head designer are product design, UI, and sketch.
| Color And Materials Designer | Head Designer | |
| Yearly salary | $83,086 | $116,986 |
| Hourly rate | $39.95 | $56.24 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 51,032 | 53,876 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| 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.
The Head Designer is the overall command over the creative team's design and the entire company. The heads of the organization look toward the head designer to provide insights into the artistic path the company will take to achieve a unique brand in the market. The head designer is highly-creative, good in management, and can articulate abstract ideas clearly and relay them to company administrators, customers, and clients. A head designer's responsibilities are to handle the creative team, train each member, and provide guidance in every part of the designing process.
Color and materials designers and head designers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Color And Materials Designer | Head Designer | |
| Average salary | $83,086 | $116,986 |
| Salary range | Between $58,000 And $117,000 | Between $71,000 And $191,000 |
| Highest paying City | Redmond, WA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Maryland | California |
| Best paying company | Microsoft | Airbnb |
| Best paying industry | - | Hospitality |
There are a few differences between a color and materials designer and a head designer in terms of educational background:
| Color And Materials Designer | Head Designer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| 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 head designers' demographics:
| Color And Materials Designer | Head Designer | |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 52.5% Female, 47.5% | Male, 50.1% Female, 49.9% |
| 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% |