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Freelance designer vs freelancer

The differences between freelance designers and freelancers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a freelance designer and a freelancer. Additionally, a freelancer has an average salary of $59,367, which is higher than the $57,260 average annual salary of a freelance designer.

The top three skills for a freelance designer include sketch, CSS and HTML. The most important skills for a freelancer are customer service, web content, and video production.

Freelance designer vs freelancer overview

Freelance DesignerFreelancer
Yearly salary$57,260$59,367
Hourly rate$27.53$28.54
Growth rate3%3%
Number of jobs45,9142,088
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 73%Bachelor's Degree, 69%
Average age3838
Years of experience1212

What does a freelance designer do?

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.

What does a freelancer do?

A freelancer is a self-employed individual that provides services for multiple clients at one time and usually earns money on a per-job basis. Often known as independent contractors, freelancers usually set their schedules while running their own business and have a flexible lifestyle. They have the liberty to choose their clients that may be less confined to specific markets or sectors. Freelancers usually find work within the creative industries such as graphic design, copywriting, or photography.

Freelance designer vs freelancer salary

Freelance designers and freelancers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Freelance DesignerFreelancer
Average salary$57,260$59,367
Salary rangeBetween $39,000 And $83,000Between $40,000 And $86,000
Highest paying City--
Highest paying state--
Best paying company--
Best paying industry--

Differences between freelance designer and freelancer education

There are a few differences between a freelance designer and a freelancer in terms of educational background:

Freelance DesignerFreelancer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 73%Bachelor's Degree, 69%
Most common majorGraphic DesignGraphic Design
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Pennsylvania

Freelance designer vs freelancer demographics

Here are the differences between freelance designers' and freelancers' demographics:

Freelance DesignerFreelancer
Average age3838
Gender ratioMale, 48.0% Female, 52.0%Male, 47.7% Female, 52.3%
Race ratioBlack 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 Percentage13%13%

Differences between freelance designer and freelancer duties and responsibilities

Freelance designer example responsibilities.

  • Lead the transition from paste-up, typesetting, pasting up page layout to digital ad/page building and web printing.
  • Hand-Code HTML, CSS, JS and PHP for custom design solutions and form processing, validation, and animations.
  • Provide identity and stationery design, web design, HTML / CSS development and WordPress integration (content management system).
  • Image manipulation in platforms such as Photoshop and illustrator as per assign.
  • Develop high-qualityshop drawings for all casework to be build by in-house woodshop.
  • Design websites, landing pages, banner ads, pop-ups, and HTML emails.
  • Show more

Freelancer example responsibilities.

  • Manage the instagram account to create a trend and increase the numbers of followers and likes.
  • Manage and develop a stream line Intranet site for better communication purposes and quicker access to documents and company information
  • Implement and customize several websites using HTML, CSS, JavaScript, PHP, and WordPress.
  • Design and develop the website for SoftProjector (http: //softprojector.org/) in HTML, CSS and PHP.
  • Create custom WordPress template that require the use of HTML5, CSS and PHP.
  • Perform social media management, Facebook advertising, social media blasts, and other marketing relate activities.
  • Show more

Freelance designer vs freelancer skills

Common freelance designer skills
  • Sketch, 11%
  • CSS, 7%
  • HTML, 6%
  • Adobe Photoshop, 6%
  • Adobe Illustrator, 6%
  • Photography, 5%
Common freelancer skills
  • Customer Service, 32%
  • Web Content, 17%
  • Video Production, 6%
  • Adobe Photoshop, 4%
  • Photography, 3%
  • Graphic Design, 3%

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