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Freelance designer vs web designer

The differences between freelance designers and web 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 web designer. Additionally, a web designer has an average salary of $63,842, 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 web designer are HTML, CSS, and wordpress.

Freelance designer vs web designer overview

Freelance DesignerWeb Designer
Yearly salary$57,260$63,842
Hourly rate$27.53$30.69
Growth rate3%3%
Number of jobs45,91450,899
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 73%Bachelor's Degree, 67%
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 web designer do?

A web designer is a creative professional responsible for creating and redesigning the content and layout of websites. Web designers are required to meet clients and users to discuss the needs and goals of their clients. To create graphics, colors, and fonts, web designers usually use HTML coding to alter the website's layout. Web designers must build their portfolio by taking on unique projects for themselves and the people they know.

Freelance designer vs web designer salary

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

Freelance DesignerWeb Designer
Average salary$57,260$63,842
Salary rangeBetween $39,000 And $83,000Between $42,000 And $96,000
Highest paying City-Seattle, WA
Highest paying state-Washington
Best paying company-NVIDIA
Best paying industry-Internet

Differences between freelance designer and web designer education

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

Freelance DesignerWeb Designer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 73%Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Most common majorGraphic DesignGraphic Design
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Pennsylvania

Freelance designer vs web designer demographics

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

Freelance DesignerWeb Designer
Average age3838
Gender ratioMale, 48.0% Female, 52.0%Male, 62.3% Female, 37.7%
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 web designer 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

Web designer example responsibilities.

  • Manage a team of 3 web developers in creating high-end websites that focuse on animation and aggressive marketing.
  • Manage prototype content in wireframes when necessary.
  • Manage and develop a stream line Intranet site for better communication purposes and quicker access to documents and company information
  • Self-Initiat training to increase ability to build sites using HTML5, CSS3, secure PHP, and SQL.
  • Perform QA and create Jira tickets when need.
  • Create unique brand logo; continue to use CSS3 to customize website appearance and improve UX
  • Show more

Freelance designer vs web designer skills

Common freelance designer skills
  • Sketch, 11%
  • CSS, 7%
  • HTML, 6%
  • Adobe Photoshop, 6%
  • Adobe Illustrator, 6%
  • Photography, 5%
Common web designer skills
  • HTML, 7%
  • CSS, 7%
  • WordPress, 7%
  • Html Css, 7%
  • JavaScript, 6%
  • UI, 4%

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