Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between freelancers 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 freelancer and a visual designer. Additionally, a visual designer has an average salary of $86,495, 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 visual designer are sketch, visual design, and graphic design.
| Freelancer | Visual Designer | |
| Yearly salary | $59,367 | $86,495 |
| Hourly rate | $28.54 | $41.58 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 2,088 | 46,815 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 75% |
| 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 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.
Freelancers and visual designers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Freelancer | Visual Designer | |
| Average salary | $59,367 | $86,495 |
| Salary range | Between $40,000 And $86,000 | 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 freelancer and a visual designer in terms of educational background:
| Freelancer | Visual Designer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | 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 freelancers' and visual designers' demographics:
| Freelancer | Visual Designer | |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 47.7% Female, 52.3% | 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% |