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The differences between design specialists and junior 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 a junior designer takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a design specialist has an average salary of $56,917, which is higher than the $53,349 average annual salary of a junior designer.
The top three skills for a design specialist include customer service, sketch and CAD. The most important skills for a junior designer are sketch, graphic design, and adobe creative suite.
| Design Specialist | Junior Designer | |
| Yearly salary | $56,917 | $53,349 |
| Hourly rate | $27.36 | $25.65 |
| Growth rate | 1% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 68,347 | 58,152 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 75% |
| 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.
A junior designer is an entry-level professional who is responsible for creating high-quality designs according to the requirements of clients. Under the supervision of senior designers, junior designers must understand project requirements and projects and use various techniques to create drafts, models, and prototypes. They collaborate with team members to pitch in creative ideas and produce final design solutions that can include banners or logos. Junior designers must also take on specially design tasks and use feedback from other designers to improve.
Design specialists and junior designers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Design Specialist | Junior Designer | |
| Average salary | $56,917 | $53,349 |
| Salary range | Between $35,000 And $91,000 | Between $43,000 And $65,000 |
| Highest paying City | Menlo Park, CA | Santa Rosa, CA |
| Highest paying state | New York | Alaska |
| Best paying company | BP America Inc | Nike |
| Best paying industry | - | Technology |
There are a few differences between a design specialist and a junior designer in terms of educational background:
| Design Specialist | Junior Designer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 75% |
| Most common major | Graphic Design | Graphic Design |
| Most common college | Cornell University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between design specialists' and junior designers' demographics:
| Design Specialist | Junior Designer | |
| Average age | 42 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 55.1% Female, 44.9% | Male, 50.4% Female, 49.6% |
| 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% |