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The differences between creative specialists and 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 specialist and a designer. Additionally, a designer has an average salary of $66,347, which is higher than the $59,079 average annual salary of a creative specialist.
The top three skills for a creative specialist include graphic design, digital marketing and marketing campaigns. The most important skills for a designer are sketch, customer service, and graphic design.
| Creative Specialist | Designer | |
| Yearly salary | $59,079 | $66,347 |
| Hourly rate | $28.40 | $31.90 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 29,855 | 52,433 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 76% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
Creative specialists are professionals who are responsible for enhancing the effectiveness of their online content by improving the layout of their web page using graphic design and layout techniques. These specialists must possess skills in using various software such as Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Creative Suite to be used for their web page development, online media, and graphic design. Creative specialists are also hired by marketing companies to assist them in developing the online presence of their advertising campaigns.
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.
Creative specialists and designers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Creative Specialist | Designer | |
| Average salary | $59,079 | $66,347 |
| Salary range | Between $34,000 And $102,000 | Between $45,000 And $97,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | New York | Washington |
| Best paying company | Apple | Meta |
| Best paying industry | - | Technology |
There are a few differences between a creative specialist and a designer in terms of educational background:
| Creative Specialist | Designer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 76% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Most common major | Graphic Design | Graphic Design |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between creative specialists' and designers' demographics:
| Creative Specialist | Designer | |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 41.7% Female, 58.3% | Male, 56.9% Female, 43.1% |
| 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% |