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The differences between freelance 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 freelance designer and a senior graphic designer. Additionally, a senior graphic designer has an average salary of $73,921, 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 senior graphic designer are sketch, adobe creative suite, and creative concepts.
| Freelance Designer | Senior Graphic Designer | |
| Yearly salary | $57,260 | $73,921 |
| Hourly rate | $27.53 | $35.54 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 45,914 | 46,310 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
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.
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.
Freelance designers and senior graphic designers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Freelance Designer | Senior Graphic Designer | |
| Average salary | $57,260 | $73,921 |
| Salary range | Between $39,000 And $83,000 | Between $51,000 And $105,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | - | Washington |
| Best paying company | - | Practice Fusion |
| Best paying industry | - | Technology |
There are a few differences between a freelance designer and a senior graphic designer in terms of educational background:
| Freelance Designer | Senior Graphic Designer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Most common major | Graphic Design | Graphic Design |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between freelance designers' and senior graphic designers' demographics:
| Freelance Designer | Senior Graphic Designer | |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 48.0% Female, 52.0% | 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% |