What does a digital designer do?
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.
Digital designer responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real digital designer resumes:
- Manage various clients and projects as a sole proprietor, specializing in creative design, animation, and illustration.
- Use ASP.NET and XML to automate common workflow tasks due to extremely high volume of designs to be create.
- Manage website redesign including copywriting and updating all website content.
- Work in SharePoint, Dreamweaver, HTML5, CSS, wireframes, storyboards, and WordPress.
- Create weekly HTML email campaigns to generate a marketing presence and drive traffic to their social media and web sites.
- Make clickable prototypes using InVision.
- Edit existing PHP scripts as needed.
- Design android version of a iPhone application.
- Develop and design company's website using Wordpress.
- Research, wireframe, sketch, and storyboard new digital products.
- Design and build interactive online content using HTML5, CSS and JQuery.
- Fabricated/Manipulate web pages, graphics, & JavaScript in an office environment.
- Expand the company's customer service and overall image including Facebook and website design.
- Used Dreamweaver MX4 for maintenance, updates, link verification, and errors on external website.
- Travele to local stores to implement new store posters and facilitate the display of new marketing materials
Digital designer skills and personality traits
We calculated that 12% of Digital Designers are proficient in Sketch, Digital Marketing, and Graphic Design. They’re also known for soft skills such as Analytical skills, Artistic ability, and Communication skills.
We break down the percentage of Digital Designers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Sketch, 12%
Design web banners and landing pages for all special promotions Conceptualize, visualize, and sketch out campaign ads.
- Digital Marketing, 7%
Work collaboratively with digital marketing team to develop campaign elements and implement marketing plans to achieve business result.
- Graphic Design, 7%
Develop custom graphic design including customization of existing graphics and photographs.
- Digital Design, 6%
Established digital design guidelines for Honest Beauty and worked closely with designers to maintain a consistent aesthetic across all digital platforms.
- Adobe Creative Suite, 5%
Created digital portfolios for student workers using the Adobe Creative Suite.
- UI, 4%
Delivered visual content and UI elements based on the product/business requirements.
"sketch," "digital marketing," and "graphic design" are among the most common skills that digital designers use at work. You can find even more digital designer responsibilities below, including:
Analytical skills. The most essential soft skill for a digital designer to carry out their responsibilities is analytical skills. This skill is important for the role because "graphic designers must be able to perceive their work from their consumers’ point of view to ensure that the designs convey the client’s message." Additionally, a digital designer resume shows how their duties depend on analytical skills: "helped with research on ongoing and upcoming projects as well as trends in digital marketing through tools and databases. "
Artistic ability. Many digital designer duties rely on artistic ability. "graphic designers must be able to create designs that are artistically interesting and appealing to clients and consumers," so a digital designer will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways digital designer responsibilities rely on artistic ability: "developed art and artistic direction for the company through design solutions. "
Communication skills. digital designers are also known for communication skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to digital designer responsibilities, because "graphic designers must communicate with clients, customers, and other designers to ensure that their designs accurately and effectively convey information." A digital designer resume example shows how communication skills is used in the workplace: "design external write the quarterly newsletter, and project management for client's digital marketing communications. "
Computer skills. A big part of what digital designers do relies on "computer skills." You can see how essential it is to digital designer responsibilities because "most graphic designers use specialized graphic design software to prepare their designs." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical digital designer tasks: "created 2014 fifth grade yearbook using computer graphics, page-layout software, photography, and imagination. "
Creativity. Another common skill required for digital designer responsibilities is "creativity." This skill comes up in the duties of digital designers all the time, as "graphic designers must be able to think of new approaches to communicating ideas to consumers." An excerpt from a real digital designer resume shows how this skill is central to what a digital designer does: "collaborated with digital marketing team, creative marketing team and digital platform group to establish functional and efficient development process. "
Time-management skills. Another skill commonly found on digital designer job descriptions is "time-management skills." It can come up quite often in digital designer duties, since "graphic designers often work simultaneously on multiple projects, each with a different deadline." Here's an example from a resume of how this skill fits into day-to-day digital designer responsibilities: "work directly with creative and project management to define goals and meet deadlines. "
The three companies that hire the most digital designers are:
- American Red Cross19 digital designers jobs
- CVS Health18 digital designers jobs
- ABM Industries9 digital designers jobs
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Compare different digital designers
Digital designer vs. Graphic designer, marketing
A graphic designer of marketing specializes in developing creative imagery as part of a company's marketing efforts. Their responsibilities typically revolve around coordinating with the marketing team to share insights and strategies, conceptualizing designs in adherence to objectives and deadlines, and preparing presentations. One may also subject designs into various revisions and edits as needed. Furthermore, as a graphic designer, it is also essential to keep abreast of the latest trends and have an understanding of the target audience.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a digital designer are more likely to require skills like "digital design," "html css," "ui," and "user experience." On the other hand, a job as a graphic designer, marketing requires skills like "brochures," "blog posts," "in-house," and "product photography." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Graphic designers, marketing really shine in the technology industry with an average salary of $52,640. Comparatively, digital designers tend to make the most money in the automotive industry with an average salary of $98,035.On average, graphic designers, marketing reach similar levels of education than digital designers. Graphic designers, marketing are 3.9% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.2% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Digital designer vs. Graphic designer internship
In a graphic design internship, one of the primary responsibilities is to accomplish tasks while under the supervision of more experienced colleagues. An aspiring graphic designer may use this opportunity to observe and participate in designing for various industries, handle different clients, participate in creative meetings, and learn strategies from experts. Furthermore, there may also be technical tasks involving research and analysis, gathering materials, coordinating with vendors, and producing reports and other necessary documentation. They may also be responsible for maintaining a database and responding to calls and inquires.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real digital designer resumes. While digital designer responsibilities can utilize skills like "digital marketing," "digital design," "html css," and "ui," graphic designer interns use skills like "graphic design intern," "blog posts," "typography," and "adobe indesign."
Graphic designer interns may earn a lower salary than digital designers, but graphic designer interns earn the most pay in the professional industry with an average salary of $41,614. On the other hand, digital designers receive higher pay in the automotive industry, where they earn an average salary of $98,035.In general, graphic designer interns achieve lower levels of education than digital designers. They're 5.6% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.2% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for digital designers in the next 3-5 years?
Dr. Sarah Satterfield Ph.D.
Department Chair Visual and Performing Arts, Professor of Music and Humanities, College of Central Florida
Digital designer vs. Graphic designer/production
A Graphics Designer in production is the person in charge of designing and interpreting ideas pointed out by the client or the company. The graphics designer must use market standard applications and techniques to produce attention-grabbing designs intended to market a product, service, or company. Graphic designers are an integral part of a company's digital marketing, especially over the internet. The graphic designer must have a good eye for style, typesetting, and the use of colors.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a digital designer is likely to be skilled in "digital marketing," "digital design," "html css," and "ui," while a typical graphic designer/production is skilled in "adobe indesign," "signage," "brochures," and "product photography."
Graphic designer/productions earn the best pay in the technology industry, where they command an average salary of $59,531. Digital designers earn the highest pay from the automotive industry, with an average salary of $98,035.When it comes to education, graphic designer/productions tend to earn similar degree levels compared to digital designers. In fact, they're 4.9% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.2% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Digital designer vs. User experience designer
A User Experience (UX) designer is an individual who measures and optimizes applications to improve the experience of end-users. His/Her or her duties and responsibilities include considering a design's human-computer interaction element, defining interaction models, and working with creative directors and designers. The key skills for UX designers include strong mathematical and problem-solving skills and excellent information technology and programming skills. Having a bachelor's degree in a design or computing-related subject is an advantage to qualify for the UX designer position.
Types of digital designer
Updated January 8, 2025
