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Design internship vs visual merchandiser

The differences between design interns and visual merchandisers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a design internship has an average salary of $45,791, which is higher than the $38,037 average annual salary of a visual merchandiser.

The top three skills for a design internship include design intern, sketch and graphic design. The most important skills for a visual merchandiser are customer service, ladders, and sales floor.

Design internship vs visual merchandiser overview

Design InternshipVisual Merchandiser
Yearly salary$45,791$38,037
Hourly rate$22.01$18.29
Growth rate3%10%
Number of jobs97,01874,351
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 74%Bachelor's Degree, 57%
Average age3840
Years of experience12-

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 visual merchandiser do?

A visual merchandiser is responsible for arranging product displays at retail outlets, attracting customers to purchase the items. Visual merchandisers should be updated with the latest trends in the market to prioritize retail displays and floor plans. They must also be knowledgeable on product information to assist customers with their inquiries and concerns. Visual merchandisers should be creative in setting up the uniformity of the store's visuals within the budget goals. The designs must be appealing enough to drive the customers around the premises, potentially generating revenues and increasing profitability.

Design internship vs visual merchandiser salary

Design interns and visual merchandisers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Design InternshipVisual Merchandiser
Average salary$45,791$38,037
Salary rangeBetween $32,000 And $64,000Between $27,000 And $53,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CANew York, NY
Highest paying stateWashingtonNew York
Best paying companyMetaRH
Best paying industryTechnologyRetail

Differences between design internship and visual merchandiser education

There are a few differences between a design internship and a visual merchandiser in terms of educational background:

Design InternshipVisual Merchandiser
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 74%Bachelor's Degree, 57%
Most common majorGraphic DesignSpecialized Sales And Merchandising
Most common collegeUniversity of Pennsylvania-

Design internship vs visual merchandiser demographics

Here are the differences between design interns' and visual merchandisers' demographics:

Design InternshipVisual Merchandiser
Average age3840
Gender ratioMale, 41.7% Female, 58.3%Male, 27.3% Female, 72.7%
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, 8.5% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 13.8% Asian, 5.3% White, 66.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage13%17%

Differences between design internship and visual merchandiser 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.
  • Show more

Visual merchandiser example responsibilities.

  • Manage backroom/stock room inventory by organizing pallets, stacking and storing product inventory.
  • Provide support to all meeting and VTC rooms.
  • Merchandise mens, ladies, kids, and accessories departments.
  • Operate audio board, PowerPoint, camera, and video switcher.
  • Assist outside vendor merchandisers (NIKE) with execution of planograms.
  • Assist with prop development and production for the 5 NYC flagship stores.
  • Show more

Design internship vs visual merchandiser skills

Common design internship skills
  • Design Intern, 12%
  • Sketch, 11%
  • Graphic Design, 5%
  • User Experience, 4%
  • Visualization, 3%
  • UI, 3%
Common visual merchandiser skills
  • Customer Service, 25%
  • Ladders, 17%
  • Sales Floor, 10%
  • Store Management, 6%
  • Drive Sales, 6%
  • Kids, 5%

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