Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between exhibition designers and freelance designers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become an exhibition designer, becoming a freelance designer takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, an exhibition designer has an average salary of $62,371, which is higher than the $57,260 average annual salary of a freelance designer.
The top three skills for an exhibition designer include CAD, design concepts and concept development. The most important skills for a freelance designer are sketch, CSS, and HTML.
| Exhibition Designer | Freelance Designer | |
| Yearly salary | $62,371 | $57,260 |
| Hourly rate | $29.99 | $27.53 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 45,425 | 45,914 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 77% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Average age | 42 | 38 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 12 |
An exhibition designer creates appealing and creative display stands, meeting the practical, budgetary, and aesthetic requirements. Besides organizing and participating in meetings, explaining design issues, and producing competitive and realistic quotes, exhibition designers also respond to clients' queries and transport their display 'stands' to the required exhibition venues. They deliver finished display stands to clients for reviewing, erecting, and dismantling the stands at different locations and create sketches and 3D computer-produced images. Also, they negotiate and agree on time-scales and budgets.
Freelance designers are creative, independent contractors who create visual and graphic designs for their clients. They develop text and illustrated versions of brands, messages, and communications with strong visible influence with their clients. Typical activities include networking, seeking projects, and negotiating prices to their customers. They manage client proposals, develop concepts, present solutions, and ensure the timely completion of projects. Freelance visual and graphic designers are creative, self-motivated as well as result and deadline oriented.
Exhibition designers and freelance designers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Exhibition Designer | Freelance Designer | |
| Average salary | $62,371 | $57,260 |
| Salary range | Between $39,000 And $99,000 | Between $39,000 And $83,000 |
| Highest paying City | Sacramento, CA | - |
| Highest paying state | New York | - |
| Best paying company | The Metropolitan Museum of Art | - |
| Best paying industry | Professional | - |
There are a few differences between an exhibition designer and a freelance designer in terms of educational background:
| Exhibition Designer | Freelance Designer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 77% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Most common major | Graphic Design | Graphic Design |
| Most common college | Harvard University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between exhibition designers' and freelance designers' demographics:
| Exhibition Designer | Freelance Designer | |
| Average age | 42 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 59.4% Female, 40.6% | Male, 48.0% Female, 52.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 2.8% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 10.0% Asian, 11.4% White, 70.6% 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 | 12% | 13% |