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The differences between design managers and project managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a design manager has an average salary of $102,637, which is higher than the $91,578 average annual salary of a project manager.
The top three skills for a design manager include sketch, project management and visualization. The most important skills for a project manager are project management, project scope, and customer service.
| Design Manager | Project Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $102,637 | $91,578 |
| Hourly rate | $49.34 | $44.03 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 61,273 | 167,116 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4.17 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Average age | 48 | 47 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
A design manager is responsible for creating graphic and digital designs, following clients' specifications, and managing project deliverables efficiently. Design managers work closely with the marketing and public relations department, developing strategies to promote the brand to the target audience. They coordinate with the creative team and present the design ideas to the management, ask for final approval, perform revisions as needed, and follow the budget goals. A design manager must have excellent communication and leadership skills to handle the design team's concerns and needs.
Project managers oversee a specific project related to the organization's business. They manage the whole project from inception to evaluation. They initiate planning with involved departments, follow-through on the plans, ensure smooth execution of the plans, and evaluate the project for further improvements should these be needed. In line with this, project managers also ensure that the project is cost-efficient and well within the budget. They also manage the different work teams involved in the project and ensure that things are running smoothly on this aspect as well.
Design managers and project managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Design Manager | Project Manager | |
| Average salary | $102,637 | $91,578 |
| Salary range | Between $69,000 And $150,000 | Between $64,000 And $129,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a design manager and a project manager in terms of educational background:
| Design Manager | Project Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Most common major | Graphic Design | Business |
| Most common college | University of Michigan - Ann Arbor | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between design managers' and project managers' demographics:
| Design Manager | Project Manager | |
| Average age | 48 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 63.8% Female, 36.2% | Male, 68.9% Female, 31.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 11.8% White, 71.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 7.7% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 12.9% Asian, 9.0% White, 65.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 10% |