Post job

Designer vs artist

The differences between designers and artists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an artist has an average salary of $68,690, which is higher than the $66,347 average annual salary of a designer.

The top three skills for a designer include sketch, customer service and graphic design. The most important skills for an artist are maya, adobe photoshop, and customer service.

Designer vs artist overview

DesignerArtist
Yearly salary$66,347$68,690
Hourly rate$31.90$33.02
Growth rate3%6%
Number of jobs52,4333,870
Job satisfaction54
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 61%Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Average age3840
Years of experience12-

What does a designer do?

A designer is someone who creates a master plan of the look or workings of something before it will be made. It could be tangible or intangible objects, products, procedures, laws, events, games, graphics, services, and even experiences. Designers are creative thinkers with a great eye to configure the skeletal and structural properties of the targeted output. They work in several fields, such as fashion, architecture, web graphics, and user experience. In spite of the variety of professionals in the design industry, all of them are artistic, passionate, inspiring, and emotionally connected to their projects and brands.

What does an artist do?

An Artist specializes in creating various artworks or prose; the audience can vary from individuals or the general public. An artist's responsibility depends on the industry, company, or position where they are assigned. However, most of the time, Artists are expected to work under specific guidelines, deliver materials in a required format within an allotted time and perform revisions according to what is preferred by an editor or client. Furthermore, independent artists may work freelance and receive commissions for their craft.

Designer vs artist salary

Designers and artists have different pay scales, as shown below.

DesignerArtist
Average salary$66,347$68,690
Salary rangeBetween $45,000 And $97,000Between $42,000 And $110,000
Highest paying CitySeattle, WASan Rafael, CA
Highest paying stateWashingtonCalifornia
Best paying companyMetaMeta
Best paying industryTechnologyTechnology

Differences between designer and artist education

There are a few differences between a designer and an artist in terms of educational background:

DesignerArtist
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 61%Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Most common majorGraphic DesignFine Arts
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaHarvard University

Designer vs artist demographics

Here are the differences between designers' and artists' demographics:

DesignerArtist
Average age3840
Gender ratioMale, 56.9% Female, 43.1%Male, 45.2% Female, 54.8%
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, 4.3% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 14.1% Asian, 7.6% White, 67.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage13%11%

Differences between designer and artist duties and responsibilities

Designer example responsibilities.

  • Lead & design all creative content stemming from apparel design to web identity.
  • Manage various PCB designs utilizing state of the art DFM techniques and comply with company standards.
  • Utilize CSS, DHTML, HTML, and JavaScript for cross browser, cross platform compatibility and consistency.
  • Develop different kinds of functions globally, locally for the development of forms using JavaScript, CSS.
  • Transform customer specifications into usable SolidWorks 3D models and assemblies from which all manufacturing are derived.
  • Process ECR's and ECO's using Windchill.
  • Show more

Artist example responsibilities.

  • Manage studio workload and advise print direction to in-house and freelance cad artists.
  • Manage online product catalog using Dreamweaver.
  • Assist customers with product selection and process POS transactions.
  • Provide comparative analysis on traditional vs. Mac vs. PC production.
  • Animate in-game characters, user interface assets and particle effects.
  • Own & operate a specialize faux painting, mural and art business.
  • Show more

Designer vs artist skills

Common designer skills
  • Sketch, 10%
  • Customer Service, 7%
  • Graphic Design, 6%
  • CSS, 5%
  • HTML, 4%
  • PowerPoint, 4%
Common artist skills
  • Maya, 13%
  • Adobe Photoshop, 8%
  • Customer Service, 7%
  • Graphic Design, 7%
  • Photography, 7%
  • VFX, 6%

Browse arts, entertainment, sports, and media jobs