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The differences between digital designers and product designers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become a digital designer, becoming a product designer takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a product designer has an average salary of $102,033, which is higher than the $72,987 average annual salary of a digital designer.
The top three skills for a digital designer include sketch, digital marketing and graphic design. The most important skills for a product designer are sketch, visual design, and UI.
| Digital Designer | Product Designer | |
| Yearly salary | $72,987 | $102,033 |
| Hourly rate | $35.09 | $49.05 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 61,109 | 98,465 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Average age | 38 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 4 |
A digital designer is an individual who is responsible for creating digital assets for multimedia and graphic projects that can include mobile applications, video games, and interactive displays. Digital designers must collaborate with project managers, design teams, and content experts to interpret the team's concepts into a design that will deliver an effective user experience. They must be experts in using computer software and applications to create digital designs and convert data to a graphical interface such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Digital designers must also have a bachelor's degree in graphic design or fine arts.
A product designer's key responsibilities are to perform design research, selecting the best materials, and develop user storyboards for the client and users' best interest. Product designers usually work with a whole design team, documenting suggestions to deliver high-quality outputs or improve existing products to match the market trends. They must also communicate with other skilled professionals to enhance their ideas and consult clients for any necessary adjustments that would affect the total user experience. A product designer should also have extensive knowledge of the consumer's preference to make the design more appealing and engaging.
Digital designers and product designers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Digital Designer | Product Designer | |
| Average salary | $72,987 | $102,033 |
| Salary range | Between $46,000 And $114,000 | Between $68,000 And $152,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Sacramento, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Washington |
| Best paying company | Lyft | Netflix |
| Best paying industry | Automotive | Technology |
There are a few differences between a digital designer and a product designer in terms of educational background:
| Digital Designer | Product Designer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Most common major | Graphic Design | Graphic Design |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Carnegie Mellon University |
Here are the differences between digital designers' and product designers' demographics:
| Digital Designer | Product Designer | |
| Average age | 38 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 60.0% Female, 40.0% | Male, 74.2% Female, 25.8% |
| 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, 1.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.3% Asian, 10.1% White, 76.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 13% | 8% |