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The differences between creative specialists and production 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 production designer. Additionally, a creative specialist has an average salary of $59,079, which is higher than the $54,760 average annual salary of a production designer.
The top three skills for a creative specialist include graphic design, digital marketing and marketing campaigns. The most important skills for a production designer are sketch, graphic design, and adobe creative suite.
| Creative Specialist | Production Designer | |
| Yearly salary | $59,079 | $54,760 |
| Hourly rate | $28.40 | $26.33 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 29,855 | 96,682 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 76% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| 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 production designer is responsible for monitoring the visual presentation of a media or theatre production, ensuring the set's adherence to the theme, and presenting visual elements according to the production requirements. Production designers research the current industry trends for creative ideas that would attract the audience, creating outstanding visual pictures throughout the production. In most cases, production designers also operate software systems and tools to suggest graphic effects and support the artistic team for deliverables. A production designer develops all visual plans within the budget goals and discusses adjustments to the production management team as needed.
Creative specialists and production designers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Creative Specialist | Production Designer | |
| Average salary | $59,079 | $54,760 |
| Salary range | Between $34,000 And $102,000 | Between $36,000 And $82,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New York | California |
| Best paying company | Apple | Meta |
| Best paying industry | - | Internet |
There are a few differences between a creative specialist and a production designer in terms of educational background:
| Creative Specialist | Production Designer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 76% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Most common major | Graphic Design | Graphic Design |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between creative specialists' and production designers' demographics:
| Creative Specialist | Production Designer | |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 41.7% Female, 58.3% | Male, 55.4% Female, 44.6% |
| 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% |