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Fashion designer vs fashion illustrator

The differences between fashion designers and fashion illustrators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a fashion designer and a fashion illustrator. Additionally, a fashion illustrator has an average salary of $72,583, which is higher than the $54,265 average annual salary of a fashion designer.

The top three skills for a fashion designer include fashion design, sketch and apparel. The most important skills for a fashion illustrator are sketch, adobe photoshop, and trend research.

Fashion designer vs fashion illustrator overview

Fashion DesignerFashion Illustrator
Yearly salary$54,265$72,583
Hourly rate$26.09$34.90
Growth rate3%6%
Number of jobs49,4762,315
Job satisfaction4-
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 61%Bachelor's Degree, 56%
Average age3740
Years of experience66

Fashion designer vs fashion illustrator salary

Fashion designers and fashion illustrators have different pay scales, as shown below.

Fashion DesignerFashion Illustrator
Average salary$54,265$72,583
Salary rangeBetween $37,000 And $78,000Between $51,000 And $102,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CA-
Highest paying stateNevada-
Best paying companyRalph Lauren-
Best paying industryRetail-

Differences between fashion designer and fashion illustrator education

There are a few differences between a fashion designer and a fashion illustrator in terms of educational background:

Fashion DesignerFashion Illustrator
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 61%Bachelor's Degree, 56%
Most common majorGraphic DesignGraphic Design
Most common collegeCornell UniversityDuke University

Fashion designer vs fashion illustrator demographics

Here are the differences between fashion designers' and fashion illustrators' demographics:

Fashion DesignerFashion Illustrator
Average age3740
Gender ratioMale, 17.3% Female, 82.7%Male, 23.4% Female, 76.6%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 7.3% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 11.9% Asian, 11.6% White, 63.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%Black or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 5.9% Hispanic or Latino, 14.0% Asian, 7.6% White, 67.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage18%11%

Differences between fashion designer and fashion illustrator duties and responsibilities

Fashion designer example responsibilities.

  • Customize technical packages with POM specifications, manage grading standards, assisting in costing the BOM, etc.
  • Manage and facilitate fittings and quick changes, organizing wardrobe, transferring and directing costumes to desire locations.
  • Develop marketing and brand awareness initiatives through social media outlets; create and manage company Facebook and Houzz profiles.
  • Create packages containing new design ideas, swatches of fabrics and embroideries, pictures, cad and presentations.
  • Key player in implementation of PLM system.
  • Design and develop a variety of apparel, including menswear and women's clothing, for various purposes and client types.
  • Show more

Fashion illustrator example responsibilities.

  • Design and manage company website and powerpoint presentation relate material that promote the company.
  • Design and manage company website and powerpoint presentation relate material that promote the company.
  • Select and upload runway and backstage photos to Pinterest.com/thecut.

Fashion designer vs fashion illustrator skills

Common fashion designer skills
  • Fashion Design, 14%
  • Sketch, 12%
  • Apparel, 6%
  • Design Concepts, 5%
  • Adobe Illustrator, 5%
  • CAD, 4%
Common fashion illustrator skills
  • Sketch, 46%
  • Adobe Photoshop, 28%
  • Trend Research, 7%
  • Cost Sheets, 7%
  • CAD, 6%
  • Concept Development, 6%

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