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The differences between design coordinators and freelance 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 design coordinator and a freelance designer. Additionally, a freelance designer has an average salary of $57,260, which is higher than the $53,594 average annual salary of a design coordinator.
The top three skills for a design coordinator include revit, sketch and BIM. The most important skills for a freelance designer are sketch, CSS, and HTML.
| Design Coordinator | Freelance Designer | |
| Yearly salary | $53,594 | $57,260 |
| Hourly rate | $25.77 | $27.53 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 57,107 | 45,914 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
A design coordinator is responsible for collating and analyzing designs for construction that meet business requirements and budget limitations. Design coordinators create expenses forecasting by identifying the resources and materials to be used and the estimated duration for project deliverables. They also coordinate with the clients to share progress updates and modify plans as needed according to specifications. A design coordinator negotiates contract offers with suppliers and third-party vendors, minimize excessive costings, and ensure high-quality outputs.
Freelance designers are creative, independent contractors who create visual and graphic designs for their clients. They develop text and illustrated versions of brands, messages, and communications with strong visible influence with their clients. Typical activities include networking, seeking projects, and negotiating prices to their customers. They manage client proposals, develop concepts, present solutions, and ensure the timely completion of projects. Freelance visual and graphic designers are creative, self-motivated as well as result and deadline oriented.
Design coordinators and freelance designers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Design Coordinator | Freelance Designer | |
| Average salary | $53,594 | $57,260 |
| Salary range | Between $38,000 And $74,000 | Between $39,000 And $83,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | - |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | - |
| Best paying company | Jacobs Engineering Group | - |
| Best paying industry | Technology | - |
There are a few differences between a design coordinator and a freelance designer in terms of educational background:
| Design Coordinator | Freelance Designer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Most common major | Graphic Design | Graphic Design |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between design coordinators' and freelance designers' demographics:
| Design Coordinator | Freelance Designer | |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 44.7% Female, 55.3% | Male, 48.0% Female, 52.0% |
| 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% |