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The differences between digital media designers and senior graphic designers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a digital media designer and a senior graphic designer. Additionally, a senior graphic designer has an average salary of $73,921, which is higher than the $56,476 average annual salary of a digital media designer.
The top three skills for a digital media designer include digital marketing, graphic design and adobe creative suite. The most important skills for a senior graphic designer are sketch, adobe creative suite, and creative concepts.
| Digital Media Designer | Senior Graphic Designer | |
| Yearly salary | $56,476 | $73,921 |
| Hourly rate | $27.15 | $35.54 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 67,696 | 46,310 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
A digital media designer specializes in designing and developing visual materials for advertisements, campaigns, film, television, and print using special computer programs. They typically work as a member of a design team and create materials such as images, effects, or even animation. As a digital media designer, their responsibilities include understanding and identifying project needs and requirements, developing drafts for client approval, revising designs as necessary, and maintaining records of all transactions. Moreover, a digital media designer must keep an open communication line with team members for an efficient workflow.
A senior graphic designer oversees all of the designing operations in a company, from conceptualization to production. One of their primary responsibilities is to ensure that all designs produced are according to a client's preference and brand. They also encourage fresh ideas from the team, communicate with clients or representatives, and manage the schedules to meet all deadlines. Furthermore, as a senior graphic designer, they are responsible for leading and mentoring a team of graphic designers, all in the joint effort to reach project goals.
Digital media designers and senior graphic designers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Digital Media Designer | Senior Graphic Designer | |
| Average salary | $56,476 | $73,921 |
| Salary range | Between $41,000 And $76,000 | Between $51,000 And $105,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Washington |
| Best paying company | FNB | Practice Fusion |
| Best paying industry | Start-up | Technology |
There are a few differences between a digital media designer and a senior graphic designer in terms of educational background:
| Digital Media Designer | Senior Graphic Designer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Most common major | Graphic Design | Graphic Design |
| Most common college | Carnegie Mellon University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between digital media designers' and senior graphic designers' demographics:
| Digital Media Designer | Senior Graphic Designer | |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 66.2% Female, 33.8% | Male, 53.2% Female, 46.8% |
| 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, 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% |