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The differences between graphic artists and graphics illustrators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a graphic artist and a graphics illustrator. Additionally, a graphics illustrator has an average salary of $64,943, which is higher than the $54,900 average annual salary of a graphic artist.
The top three skills for a graphic artist include graphic design, adobe photoshop and adobe illustrator. The most important skills for a graphics illustrator are adobe photoshop, graphic design, and adobe indesign.
| Graphic Artist | Graphics Illustrator | |
| Yearly salary | $54,900 | $64,943 |
| Hourly rate | $26.39 | $31.22 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 8,752 | 2,854 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
A graphic artist is either an illustrator or an animator who creates art work that will be used in graphic projects such as advertisements, posters, or even book covers. Although a graphic artist has his/her own style of artwork, he/she may be often commissioned to create art specifically for a particular project. A graphic artist may work with a graphic designer in order to convey the overall message of a project. The portfolio of a graphic artist includes cartoons, illustrations, and graphic novels.
A graphics illustrator is an artist that is skilled in drawing, painting, digital illustration, art history, and sometimes marketing. Your job as an illustrator is to create a visual representation of an idea or associated text. Unlike a graphic designer, a graphic illustrator does a lot more drawing, product package design, book illustrations, and graphic novels. As a graphics illustrator, you may be required to lead lots of projects that deal with advertising design and publishing initiatives. In addition to that, you may be expected to produce mockups, wireframes, prototypes, and design specifications.
Graphic artists and graphics illustrators have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Graphic Artist | Graphics Illustrator | |
| Average salary | $54,900 | $64,943 |
| Salary range | Between $35,000 And $84,000 | Between $41,000 And $101,000 |
| Highest paying City | Bellevue, WA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | California |
| Best paying company | Parsons | Uber Technologies |
| Best paying industry | Non Profits | Technology |
There are a few differences between a graphic artist and a graphics illustrator in terms of educational background:
| Graphic Artist | Graphics Illustrator | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Most common major | Graphic Design | Graphic Design |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between graphic artists' and graphics illustrators' demographics:
| Graphic Artist | Graphics Illustrator | |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 54.6% Female, 45.4% | Male, 52.9% Female, 47.1% |
| 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% |