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Commercial artist vs artist

The differences between commercial artists and artists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an artist has an average salary of $68,690, which is higher than the $60,449 average annual salary of a commercial artist.

The top three skills for a commercial artist include art projects, photography and adobe photoshop. The most important skills for an artist are maya, adobe photoshop, and customer service.

Commercial artist vs artist overview

Commercial ArtistArtist
Yearly salary$60,449$68,690
Hourly rate$29.06$33.02
Growth rate6%6%
Number of jobs30,0663,870
Job satisfaction-4
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 59%Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Average age4040
Years of experience6-

Commercial artist vs artist salary

Commercial artists and artists have different pay scales, as shown below.

Commercial ArtistArtist
Average salary$60,449$68,690
Salary rangeBetween $36,000 And $100,000Between $42,000 And $110,000
Highest paying City-San Rafael, CA
Highest paying state-California
Best paying company-Meta
Best paying industry-Technology

Differences between commercial artist and artist education

There are a few differences between a commercial artist and an artist in terms of educational background:

Commercial ArtistArtist
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 59%Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Most common majorGraphic DesignFine Arts
Most common collegeDuke UniversityHarvard University

Commercial artist vs artist demographics

Here are the differences between commercial artists' and artists' demographics:

Commercial ArtistArtist
Average age4040
Gender ratioMale, 58.4% Female, 41.6%Male, 45.2% Female, 54.8%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 14.1% Asian, 7.6% White, 67.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%Black or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 14.1% Asian, 7.6% White, 67.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage11%11%

Differences between commercial artist and artist duties and responsibilities

Commercial artist example responsibilities.

  • Manage external communications such as brochures and other sales collateral for direct mail from inception to circulation.
  • Utilize a variety of creative media including illustration, photography and digital design to convey ideas beautifully and intelligently.
  • Create online stores and sell artwork through Zazzle, Etsy, and Cafepress.

Artist example responsibilities.

  • Manage studio workload and advise print direction to in-house and freelance cad artists.
  • Manage online product catalog using Dreamweaver.
  • Assist customers with product selection and process POS transactions.
  • Provide comparative analysis on traditional vs. Mac vs. PC production.
  • Animate in-game characters, user interface assets and particle effects.
  • Own & operate a specialize faux painting, mural and art business.
  • Show more

Commercial artist vs artist skills

Common commercial artist skills
  • Art Projects, 32%
  • Photography, 12%
  • Adobe Photoshop, 12%
  • Technical Illustrations, 8%
  • Customer Relations, 6%
  • Posters, 5%
Common artist skills
  • Maya, 13%
  • Adobe Photoshop, 8%
  • Customer Service, 7%
  • Graphic Design, 7%
  • Photography, 7%
  • VFX, 6%

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