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The differences between creative directors & designer and graphic 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 creative director & designer and a graphic designer. Additionally, a creative director & designer has an average salary of $108,589, which is higher than the $49,450 average annual salary of a graphic designer.
The top three skills for a creative director & designer include graphic design, sketch and photography. The most important skills for a graphic designer are adobe creative suite, adobe photoshop, and adobe illustrator.
| Creative Director & Designer | Graphic Designer | |
| Yearly salary | $108,589 | $49,450 |
| Hourly rate | $52.21 | $23.77 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 52,688 | 45,625 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
Creative Directors and Designers are responsible for leading the creative output and brand representation of a product, service, or organization's publication. Their duties include developing visual communication strategies across design, content, graphics, artworks, and media, implement industry benchmarks, leading creative marketing campaigns, and working with the design team to create product or service design. Besides that, they are involved in setting the creative direction and message of a brand and supervising the creative team in ensuring brand touchpoints consistency. Creative Directors and Designers also monitor project delivery and assist in creative project budgeting.
Graphic designers are visual communicators who create graphic ideas to deliver a message through art and images which inspire, inform, and motivate consumers with the use of computer software, especially Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign or by hand. They have the ability to design stunning illustrations that are easily understood, even without a lot of thinking or based on the demand of their clients. It is very crucial to them as well to be flexible and to stay on top of the design trends. They create websites, posters, packaging, logos, advertising, and marketing materials, depending on the nature of the business.
Creative directors & designer and graphic designers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Creative Director & Designer | Graphic Designer | |
| Average salary | $108,589 | $49,450 |
| Salary range | Between $72,000 And $163,000 | Between $34,000 And $69,000 |
| Highest paying City | Menlo Park, CA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | California | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Meta | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Internet | Technology |
There are a few differences between a creative director & designer and a graphic designer in terms of educational background:
| Creative Director & Designer | Graphic Designer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Most common major | Graphic Design | Graphic Design |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between creative directors & designer' and graphic designers' demographics:
| Creative Director & Designer | Graphic Designer | |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 61.2% Female, 38.8% | Male, 49.8% Female, 50.2% |
| 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% |