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The differences between design interns and graphic 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 graphic designer. Additionally, a graphic designer has an average salary of $49,450, 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 graphic designer are adobe creative suite, adobe photoshop, and adobe illustrator.
| Design Internship | Graphic Designer | |
| Yearly salary | $45,791 | $49,450 |
| Hourly rate | $22.01 | $23.77 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 97,018 | 45,625 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| 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.
Graphic designers are visual communicators who create graphic ideas to deliver a message through art and images which inspire, inform, and motivate consumers with the use of computer software, especially Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign or by hand. They have the ability to design stunning illustrations that are easily understood, even without a lot of thinking or based on the demand of their clients. It is very crucial to them as well to be flexible and to stay on top of the design trends. They create websites, posters, packaging, logos, advertising, and marketing materials, depending on the nature of the business.
Design interns and graphic designers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Design Internship | Graphic Designer | |
| Average salary | $45,791 | $49,450 |
| Salary range | Between $32,000 And $64,000 | Between $34,000 And $69,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Meta | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a design internship and a graphic designer in terms of educational background:
| Design Internship | Graphic Designer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Most common major | Graphic Design | Graphic Design |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between design interns' and graphic designers' demographics:
| Design Internship | Graphic Designer | |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 41.7% Female, 58.3% | Male, 49.8% Female, 50.2% |
| 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% |