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The differences between design specialists and assistant designers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a design specialist, becoming an assistant designer takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a design specialist has an average salary of $56,917, which is higher than the $52,475 average annual salary of an assistant designer.
The top three skills for a design specialist include customer service, sketch and CAD. The most important skills for an assistant designer are sketch, tech packs, and adobe illustrator.
| Design Specialist | Assistant Designer | |
| Yearly salary | $56,917 | $52,475 |
| Hourly rate | $27.36 | $25.23 |
| Growth rate | 1% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 68,347 | 47,598 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Average age | 42 | 38 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 12 |
A design specialist is responsible for creating engaging visual images and digital content to improve customers' brand awareness about the organization's products and services. Design specialists may also work for media production, creating graphic animations for viewers depending on production requirements and media demands. A design specialist must have excellent knowledge of utilizing various software tools and programs, coordinating with the whole design team on adjusting plans, improving layouts according to budget limitations, and submitting deliverables within the set deadlines.
Assistant designers act as administrative support to senior designers in creating innovative designs by negotiating with the vendors about the prices of decoration materials. They are keen and up-to-date to the latest fashion and trends by conducting surveys and research. They are exceptionally creative and innovative and have excellent IT skills as they use illustration, typography, and photography layouts in the design process. However, being an assistant designer, career development relies on his/her /her specialism, reputation, and experience depending on how its opportunities are influenced by the company he/she works for.
Design specialists and assistant designers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Design Specialist | Assistant Designer | |
| Average salary | $56,917 | $52,475 |
| Salary range | Between $35,000 And $91,000 | Between $37,000 And $73,000 |
| Highest paying City | Menlo Park, CA | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | New York | Washington |
| Best paying company | BP America Inc | PVH |
| Best paying industry | - | Construction |
There are a few differences between a design specialist and an assistant designer in terms of educational background:
| Design Specialist | Assistant Designer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Most common major | Graphic Design | Graphic Design |
| Most common college | Cornell University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between design specialists' and assistant designers' demographics:
| Design Specialist | Assistant Designer | |
| Average age | 42 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 55.1% Female, 44.9% | Male, 28.3% Female, 71.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 1.5% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 7.6% Asian, 4.6% White, 82.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | 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 | 23% | 13% |