Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between custom designers and lead 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 lead designer. Additionally, a lead designer has an average salary of $110,001, which is higher than the $59,230 average annual salary of a custom designer.
The top three skills for a custom designer include sketch, customer orders and customer service. The most important skills for a lead designer are sketch, user experience, and architecture.
| Custom Designer | Lead Designer | |
| Yearly salary | $59,230 | $110,001 |
| Hourly rate | $28.48 | $52.89 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 45,123 | 45,423 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 50% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| 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.
A lead designer is responsible for addressing the clients' needs of digital content and coordinating with the design team for the planning and innovation of the visual design and concept. Lead designers conduct the initial layout of frameworks and collaborate with the art staff for the specifications and outputs using various software applications and digital boards. They regularly update the client of the project's status, including adjustment and design recommendations, ensuring that the plan meets the client's budget goals. A lead designer must have excellent communication and organizational skills, especially on running diagnostic tests to improve optimal performance.
Custom designers and lead designers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Custom Designer | Lead Designer | |
| Average salary | $59,230 | $110,001 |
| Salary range | Between $42,000 And $81,000 | Between $78,000 And $154,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | General Motors | Airbnb |
| Best paying industry | Retail | Start-up |
There are a few differences between a custom designer and a lead designer in terms of educational background:
| Custom Designer | Lead Designer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 50% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Most common major | Graphic Design | Graphic Design |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between custom designers' and lead designers' demographics:
| Custom Designer | Lead Designer | |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 44.4% Female, 55.6% | Male, 73.2% Female, 26.8% |
| 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% |