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The differences between design interns and design specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become a design internship, becoming a design specialist takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a design specialist has an average salary of $56,917, which is higher than the $45,791 average annual salary of a design internship.
The top three skills for a design internship include design intern, sketch and graphic design. The most important skills for a design specialist are customer service, sketch, and CAD.
| Design Internship | Design Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $45,791 | $56,917 |
| Hourly rate | $22.01 | $27.36 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 1% |
| Number of jobs | 97,018 | 68,347 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Average age | 38 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 4 |
As the name entails, graphic design interns learn about the career in graphic design in a hands-on setting. They have varied tasks and duties, including taking part in every meeting of the design team, conducting client research, assisting with social media and design projects, and working closely with experienced designers. They are often paid little or nothing at all for their service, but the experience that they acquire from their field can be dispensable.
A design specialist is responsible for creating engaging visual images and digital content to improve customers' brand awareness about the organization's products and services. Design specialists may also work for media production, creating graphic animations for viewers depending on production requirements and media demands. A design specialist must have excellent knowledge of utilizing various software tools and programs, coordinating with the whole design team on adjusting plans, improving layouts according to budget limitations, and submitting deliverables within the set deadlines.
Design interns and design specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Design Internship | Design Specialist | |
| Average salary | $45,791 | $56,917 |
| Salary range | Between $32,000 And $64,000 | Between $35,000 And $91,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Menlo Park, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | New York |
| Best paying company | Meta | BP America Inc |
| Best paying industry | Technology | - |
There are a few differences between a design internship and a design specialist in terms of educational background:
| Design Internship | Design Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Most common major | Graphic Design | Graphic Design |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Cornell University |
Here are the differences between design interns' and design specialists' demographics:
| Design Internship | Design Specialist | |
| Average age | 38 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 41.7% Female, 58.3% | Male, 55.1% Female, 44.9% |
| 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, 1.5% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 7.6% Asian, 4.6% White, 82.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 13% | 23% |