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Commercial artist vs medical illustrator

The differences between commercial artists and medical illustrators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a commercial artist and a medical illustrator. Additionally, a commercial artist has an average salary of $60,449, which is higher than the $52,144 average annual salary of a medical illustrator.

The top three skills for a commercial artist include art projects, photography and adobe photoshop. The most important skills for a medical illustrator are animation, graphic design, and adobe creative suite.

Commercial artist vs medical illustrator overview

Commercial ArtistMedical Illustrator
Yearly salary$60,449$52,144
Hourly rate$29.06$25.07
Growth rate6%6%
Number of jobs30,06645,699
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 59%Bachelor's Degree, 73%
Average age4040
Years of experience66

Commercial artist vs medical illustrator salary

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

Commercial ArtistMedical Illustrator
Average salary$60,449$52,144
Salary rangeBetween $36,000 And $100,000Between $35,000 And $76,000
Highest paying City--
Highest paying state--
Best paying company--
Best paying industry--

Differences between commercial artist and medical illustrator education

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

Commercial ArtistMedical Illustrator
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 59%Bachelor's Degree, 73%
Most common majorGraphic DesignMedical Illustration And Informatics
Most common collegeDuke UniversityDuke University

Commercial artist vs medical illustrator demographics

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

Commercial ArtistMedical Illustrator
Average age4040
Gender ratioMale, 58.4% Female, 41.6%Male, 45.0% Female, 55.0%
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, 14.0% Asian, 7.5% White, 67.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage11%11%

Differences between commercial artist and medical illustrator 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.

Medical illustrator example responsibilities.

  • Adhere to OSHA guidelines while performing instrument sterilization in addition to managing medical inventory.
  • Serve as an executive member on departmental teams providing regulatory guidance and technical assistance on HIPAA privacy and security rules.
  • Conduct diagnostic testing, including abdominal, obstetrics/gynecology, small parts, and vascular procedures.

Commercial artist vs medical illustrator skills

Common commercial artist skills
  • Art Projects, 32%
  • Photography, 12%
  • Adobe Photoshop, 12%
  • Technical Illustrations, 8%
  • Customer Relations, 6%
  • Posters, 5%
Common medical illustrator skills
  • Animation, 22%
  • Graphic Design, 16%
  • Adobe Creative Suite, 14%
  • Physiology, 7%
  • Surgical Procedures, 7%
  • Patient Education, 5%

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