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Design internship vs graphic design assistant

The differences between design interns and graphic design assistants 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 graphic design assistant. Additionally, a design internship has an average salary of $45,791, which is higher than the $40,835 average annual salary of a graphic design assistant.

The top three skills for a design internship include design intern, sketch and graphic design. The most important skills for a graphic design assistant are graphic design, CAD, and sketch.

Design internship vs graphic design assistant overview

Design InternshipGraphic Design Assistant
Yearly salary$45,791$40,835
Hourly rate$22.01$19.63
Growth rate3%3%
Number of jobs97,01854,021
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 74%Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Average age3838
Years of experience1212

What does a design internship do?

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.

What does a graphic design assistant do?

Graphic Design Assistants help graphic designers in creating art, fulfilling orders, and managing the studio. They may be budding graphic designers looking for industry experience or creative professionals interested in getting into the graphic designing industry. They should be familiar with the different tools and concepts involved in graphic design. Graphic Design Assistants help lead graphic designers to complete different activities. They may assist by lining, coloring, rendering, and adding finishing touches to the designs. They may also be in charge of packaging physical art and booking shipments to buyers. Graphic Design Assistants should be able to showcase their creative prowess. They are welcome to pitch in designs, critique art, and provide input.

Design internship vs graphic design assistant salary

Design interns and graphic design assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

Design InternshipGraphic Design Assistant
Average salary$45,791$40,835
Salary rangeBetween $32,000 And $64,000Between $28,000 And $58,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CANew York, NY
Highest paying stateWashingtonNew York
Best paying companyMetaGoogle
Best paying industryTechnologyFinance

Differences between design internship and graphic design assistant education

There are a few differences between a design internship and a graphic design assistant in terms of educational background:

Design InternshipGraphic Design Assistant
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 74%Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Most common majorGraphic DesignGraphic Design
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Pennsylvania

Design internship vs graphic design assistant demographics

Here are the differences between design interns' and graphic design assistants' demographics:

Design InternshipGraphic Design Assistant
Average age3838
Gender ratioMale, 41.7% Female, 58.3%Male, 29.4% Female, 70.6%
Race ratioBlack 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 Percentage13%13%

Differences between design internship and graphic design assistant duties and responsibilities

Design internship example responsibilities.

  • Design promotional materials, annual reports, newsletters and HTML emails, manage the website presence and functions
  • Manage the website and twitter page, write the blog posts and attend numerous fashion shows and sample sale rooms.
  • Assemble front-end implementation using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
  • Develop knowledge of designing websites and learned languages such as HTML and CSS.
  • Improve and simplify the user interface by using interaction design and data visualization.
  • Leverage project management principals to improve process and program effectiveness, drive down costs and improve efficiency.
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Graphic design assistant example responsibilities.

  • Administer company website using PHP coding and manage Instagram/Facebook profiles.
  • Approve lab dips, embroidery size and placement, strike offs, screen prints, and appliques.
  • Supervise production staff that used embroidery machines.
  • Produce: technical drawings, illustrations, animations, PowerPoint presentations and relate graphics for organization.
  • Design PowerPoint presentations with sound/video; replace low-resolution images with high-resolution images in presentations and client proposals.
  • Coordinate photography orders with vendors at direction of creative staff and negotiate image license contracts to maximize company profits.
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Design internship vs graphic design assistant skills

Common design internship skills
  • Design Intern, 12%
  • Sketch, 11%
  • Graphic Design, 5%
  • User Experience, 4%
  • Visualization, 3%
  • UI, 3%
Common graphic design assistant skills
  • Graphic Design, 14%
  • CAD, 6%
  • Sketch, 5%
  • Adobe Illustrator, 5%
  • Customer Service, 5%
  • Adobe Photoshop, 5%

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