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The differences between freelancers and 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 freelancer and a designer. Additionally, a designer has an average salary of $66,347, which is higher than the $59,367 average annual salary of a freelancer.
The top three skills for a freelancer include customer service, web content and video production. The most important skills for a designer are sketch, customer service, and graphic design.
| Freelancer | Designer | |
| Yearly salary | $59,367 | $66,347 |
| Hourly rate | $28.54 | $31.90 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 2,088 | 52,433 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
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.
A designer is someone who creates a master plan of the look or workings of something before it will be made. It could be tangible or intangible objects, products, procedures, laws, events, games, graphics, services, and even experiences. Designers are creative thinkers with a great eye to configure the skeletal and structural properties of the targeted output. They work in several fields, such as fashion, architecture, web graphics, and user experience. In spite of the variety of professionals in the design industry, all of them are artistic, passionate, inspiring, and emotionally connected to their projects and brands.
Freelancers and designers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Freelancer | Designer | |
| Average salary | $59,367 | $66,347 |
| Salary range | Between $40,000 And $86,000 | Between $45,000 And $97,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | - | Washington |
| Best paying company | - | Meta |
| Best paying industry | - | Technology |
There are a few differences between a freelancer and a designer in terms of educational background:
| Freelancer | Designer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Most common major | Graphic Design | Graphic Design |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between freelancers' and designers' demographics:
| Freelancer | Designer | |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 47.7% Female, 52.3% | Male, 56.9% Female, 43.1% |
| 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% |