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The differences between design specialists and project designers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a design specialist and a project designer. Additionally, a project designer has an average salary of $64,943, which is higher than the $56,917 average annual salary of a design specialist.
The top three skills for a design specialist include customer service, sketch and CAD. The most important skills for a project designer are revit, sketch, and design concepts.
| Design Specialist | Project Designer | |
| Yearly salary | $56,917 | $64,943 |
| Hourly rate | $27.36 | $31.22 |
| Growth rate | 1% | 1% |
| Number of jobs | 68,347 | 60,364 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
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 Project Designer provides assistance in project design and development activities based on customer requirements. They develop solutions to client architectural complexities.
Design specialists and project designers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Design Specialist | Project Designer | |
| Average salary | $56,917 | $64,943 |
| Salary range | Between $35,000 And $91,000 | Between $47,000 And $89,000 |
| Highest paying City | Menlo Park, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New York | New Mexico |
| Best paying company | BP America Inc | Apple |
| Best paying industry | - | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a design specialist and a project designer in terms of educational background:
| Design Specialist | Project Designer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Most common major | Graphic Design | Architecture |
| Most common college | Cornell University | Cornell University |
Here are the differences between design specialists' and project designers' demographics:
| Design Specialist | Project Designer | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 55.1% Female, 44.9% | Male, 66.5% Female, 33.5% |
| 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, 1.5% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 7.6% Asian, 4.6% White, 82.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 23% | 23% |