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The differences between freelance 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 freelance designer and a visual designer. Additionally, a visual designer has an average salary of $86,495, 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 visual designer are sketch, visual design, and graphic design.
| Freelance Designer | Visual Designer | |
| Yearly salary | $57,260 | $86,495 |
| Hourly rate | $27.53 | $41.58 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 45,914 | 46,815 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 75% |
| 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 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.
Freelance designers and visual designers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Freelance Designer | Visual Designer | |
| Average salary | $57,260 | $86,495 |
| Salary range | Between $39,000 And $83,000 | Between $51,000 And $143,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | San Bruno, CA |
| Highest paying state | - | California |
| Best paying company | - | ByteDance |
| Best paying industry | - | Start-up |
There are a few differences between a freelance designer and a visual designer in terms of educational background:
| Freelance Designer | Visual Designer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 75% |
| Most common major | Graphic Design | Graphic Design |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between freelance designers' and visual designers' demographics:
| Freelance Designer | Visual Designer | |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 48.0% Female, 52.0% | 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% |