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The differences between custom designers 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 custom designer and a graphic designer. Additionally, a custom designer has an average salary of $59,230, which is higher than the $49,450 average annual salary of a graphic designer.
The top three skills for a custom designer include sketch, customer orders and customer service. The most important skills for a graphic designer are adobe creative suite, adobe photoshop, and adobe illustrator.
| Custom Designer | Graphic Designer | |
| Yearly salary | $59,230 | $49,450 |
| Hourly rate | $28.48 | $23.77 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 45,123 | 45,625 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 50% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
A custom designer's duties depend on their line of work or industry of employment. They are typically working together with a company's design and creative team where the tasks include meeting with clients to identify their preferences and needs, gathering and analyzing data to determine the best procedures, conceptualizing plans, drafting designs, and producing samples or prototypes for client approval. Furthermore, as a custom designer, it is essential to maintain an active communication line with the creative and production team to ensure the accuracy and quality of the end product.
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.
Custom designers and graphic designers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Custom Designer | Graphic Designer | |
| Average salary | $59,230 | $49,450 |
| Salary range | Between $42,000 And $81,000 | Between $34,000 And $69,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | California | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | General Motors | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Retail | Technology |
There are a few differences between a custom designer and a graphic designer in terms of educational background:
| Custom Designer | Graphic Designer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 50% | 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 custom designers' and graphic designers' demographics:
| Custom Designer | Graphic Designer | |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 44.4% Female, 55.6% | 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% |