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Creative specialist vs senior designer

The differences between creative specialists and senior 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 senior designer. Additionally, a senior designer has an average salary of $102,058, 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 senior designer are sketch, graphic design, and human centered design.

Creative specialist vs senior designer overview

Creative SpecialistSenior Designer
Yearly salary$59,079$102,058
Hourly rate$28.40$49.07
Growth rate3%3%
Number of jobs29,85547,503
Job satisfaction-1
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 76%Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Average age3838
Years of experience1212

What does a creative specialist do?

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.

What does a senior designer do?

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.

Creative specialist vs senior designer salary

Creative specialists and senior designers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Creative SpecialistSenior Designer
Average salary$59,079$102,058
Salary rangeBetween $34,000 And $102,000Between $72,000 And $143,000
Highest paying CityWashington, DCSeattle, WA
Highest paying stateNew YorkWashington
Best paying companyAppleLyft
Best paying industry-Media

Differences between creative specialist and senior designer education

There are a few differences between a creative specialist and a senior designer in terms of educational background:

Creative SpecialistSenior Designer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 76%Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Most common majorGraphic DesignGraphic Design
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Pennsylvania

Creative specialist vs senior designer demographics

Here are the differences between creative specialists' and senior designers' demographics:

Creative SpecialistSenior Designer
Average age3838
Gender ratioMale, 41.7% Female, 58.3%Male, 71.0% Female, 29.0%
Race ratioBlack 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 Percentage13%13%

Differences between creative specialist and senior designer duties and responsibilities

Creative specialist example responsibilities.

  • Lead the development and execution of several overhead presentations, advertising design, brochure marketing, and desktop publishing initiatives.
  • Receive recognition from senior management for contributing to accelerate revenue growth as a result of developing and implementing comprehensive design strategy.
  • Work with in house services to execute traditional print media, promotion, packaging and in store POS materials.
  • Generate substantial savings through implementation of update POS ordering strategy.

Senior designer example responsibilities.

  • Identify, plan and lead brainstorming sessions for new blue-sky product opportunities across all boys' lines.
  • Design all marketing collateral within those standards including flyers, ads, conference materials, brochures, and design mailed pieces.
  • Implement HTML and CSS tags.
  • Format designs and media for use in print and web applications; deliver production-ready graphics in HTML and CSS.
  • Design and production of marketing materials, PowerPoint templates for pitch decks, event graphics, various collateral and HTML e-mails.
  • Lead the team in brainstorming sessions and assist with market research and testing.
  • Show more

Creative specialist vs senior designer skills

Common creative specialist skills
  • Graphic Design, 17%
  • Digital Marketing, 13%
  • Marketing Campaigns, 7%
  • Adobe Creative Suite, 7%
  • Video Production, 6%
  • Animation, 5%
Common senior designer skills
  • Sketch, 15%
  • Graphic Design, 5%
  • Human Centered Design, 4%
  • User Experience, 4%
  • UI, 4%
  • CAD, 4%

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