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The differences between contract designers and designers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a contract designer, becoming a designer takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a designer has an average salary of $66,347, which is higher than the $58,458 average annual salary of a contract designer.
The top three skills for a contract designer include assembly drawings, sketch and web banners. The most important skills for a designer are sketch, customer service, and graphic design.
| Contract Designer | Designer | |
| Yearly salary | $58,458 | $66,347 |
| Hourly rate | $28.10 | $31.90 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 51,980 | 52,433 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Average age | 41 | 38 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 12 |
The primary duty of a Contract Designer is to deliver creative strategies and design concepts that meet the objectives of the company's project. They work with members of the sales team and/or marketing designers.
A designer is someone who creates a master plan of the look or workings of something before it will be made. It could be tangible or intangible objects, products, procedures, laws, events, games, graphics, services, and even experiences. Designers are creative thinkers with a great eye to configure the skeletal and structural properties of the targeted output. They work in several fields, such as fashion, architecture, web graphics, and user experience. In spite of the variety of professionals in the design industry, all of them are artistic, passionate, inspiring, and emotionally connected to their projects and brands.
Contract designers and designers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Contract Designer | Designer | |
| Average salary | $58,458 | $66,347 |
| Salary range | Between $39,000 And $86,000 | Between $45,000 And $97,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | - | Washington |
| Best paying company | - | Meta |
| Best paying industry | - | Technology |
There are a few differences between a contract designer and a designer in terms of educational background:
| Contract Designer | Designer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Most common major | Graphic Design | Graphic Design |
| Most common college | Georgia Institute of Technology | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between contract designers' and designers' demographics:
| Contract Designer | Designer | |
| Average age | 41 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 66.6% Female, 33.4% | Male, 56.9% Female, 43.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.1% Asian, 10.4% White, 72.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | 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 | 5% | 13% |