Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between contract designers and senior 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 senior designer takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a senior designer has an average salary of $102,058, 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 senior designer are sketch, graphic design, and human centered design.
| Contract Designer | Senior Designer | |
| Yearly salary | $58,458 | $102,058 |
| Hourly rate | $28.10 | $49.07 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 51,980 | 47,503 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 1 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| 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.
Senior designers are typically in charge of realizing design solutions that adhere to the business goals and marketing strategies of an organization. They should be comfortable managing graphics designers and making decisions. They must have extensive knowledge of styles, layout techniques, and graphic design while also managing projects and people effectively. Senior designers have a variety of duties, which include delegating tasks to junior designers, maintaining high-quality standards, and collaborating to improve digital creativity standards.
Contract designers and senior designers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Contract Designer | Senior Designer | |
| Average salary | $58,458 | $102,058 |
| Salary range | Between $39,000 And $86,000 | Between $72,000 And $143,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | - | Washington |
| Best paying company | - | Lyft |
| Best paying industry | - | Media |
There are a few differences between a contract designer and a senior designer in terms of educational background:
| Contract Designer | Senior Designer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| 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 senior designers' demographics:
| Contract Designer | Senior Designer | |
| Average age | 41 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 66.6% Female, 33.4% | Male, 71.0% Female, 29.0% |
| 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% |