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The differences between designers and graphics illustrators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a designer and a graphics illustrator. Additionally, a designer has an average salary of $66,347, which is higher than the $64,943 average annual salary of a graphics illustrator.
The top three skills for a designer include sketch, customer service and graphic design. The most important skills for a graphics illustrator are adobe photoshop, graphic design, and adobe indesign.
| Designer | Graphics Illustrator | |
| Yearly salary | $66,347 | $64,943 |
| Hourly rate | $31.90 | $31.22 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 52,433 | 2,854 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
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.
A graphics illustrator is an artist that is skilled in drawing, painting, digital illustration, art history, and sometimes marketing. Your job as an illustrator is to create a visual representation of an idea or associated text. Unlike a graphic designer, a graphic illustrator does a lot more drawing, product package design, book illustrations, and graphic novels. As a graphics illustrator, you may be required to lead lots of projects that deal with advertising design and publishing initiatives. In addition to that, you may be expected to produce mockups, wireframes, prototypes, and design specifications.
Designers and graphics illustrators have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Designer | Graphics Illustrator | |
| Average salary | $66,347 | $64,943 |
| Salary range | Between $45,000 And $97,000 | Between $41,000 And $101,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | Uber Technologies |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a designer and a graphics illustrator in terms of educational background:
| Designer | Graphics Illustrator | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Most common major | Graphic Design | Graphic Design |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between designers' and graphics illustrators' demographics:
| Designer | Graphics Illustrator | |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 56.9% Female, 43.1% | Male, 52.9% Female, 47.1% |
| Race ratio | 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% | 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 | 13% | 13% |