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The differences between digital media designers and visual 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 visual designer. Additionally, a visual designer has an average salary of $86,495, 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 visual designer are sketch, visual design, and graphic design.
| Digital Media Designer | Visual Designer | |
| Yearly salary | $56,476 | $86,495 |
| Hourly rate | $27.15 | $41.58 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 67,696 | 46,815 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 75% |
| 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 visual designer is someone who creates designs for a variety of platforms such as Internet and intranet sites, games, and wearables. The duties of visual designers depend on the specific project or industry in which they are working. Duties include creating user-centered interaction models, working with information technology and business teams to resolve complex issues, and designing logos, icons, and infographics. The qualifications to become a visual designer include possessing strong problem-solving, communication, and negotiation skills and obtaining a bachelor's degree in design.
Digital media designers and visual designers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Digital Media Designer | Visual Designer | |
| Average salary | $56,476 | $86,495 |
| Salary range | Between $41,000 And $76,000 | Between $51,000 And $143,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | San Bruno, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | California |
| Best paying company | FNB | ByteDance |
| Best paying industry | Start-up | Start-up |
There are a few differences between a digital media designer and a visual designer in terms of educational background:
| Digital Media Designer | Visual Designer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 75% |
| 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 visual designers' demographics:
| Digital Media Designer | Visual Designer | |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 66.2% Female, 33.8% | Male, 53.1% Female, 46.9% |
| 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% |