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The differences between design interns 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 internship and a freelance designer. Additionally, a freelance designer has an average salary of $57,260, 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 freelance designer are sketch, CSS, and HTML.
| Design Internship | Freelance Designer | |
| Yearly salary | $45,791 | $57,260 |
| Hourly rate | $22.01 | $27.53 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 97,018 | 45,914 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
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.
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 interns and freelance designers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Design Internship | Freelance Designer | |
| Average salary | $45,791 | $57,260 |
| Salary range | Between $32,000 And $64,000 | Between $39,000 And $83,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | - |
| Highest paying state | Washington | - |
| Best paying company | Meta | - |
| Best paying industry | Technology | - |
There are a few differences between a design internship and a freelance designer in terms of educational background:
| Design Internship | Freelance Designer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | 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 interns' and freelance designers' demographics:
| Design Internship | Freelance Designer | |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 41.7% Female, 58.3% | 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% |