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Graphic technician vs designer

The differences between graphic technicians 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 graphic technician and a designer. Additionally, a designer has an average salary of $66,347, which is higher than the $42,632 average annual salary of a graphic technician.

The top three skills for a graphic technician include graphic design, adobe illustrator and adobe photoshop. The most important skills for a designer are sketch, customer service, and graphic design.

Graphic technician vs designer overview

Graphic TechnicianDesigner
Yearly salary$42,632$66,347
Hourly rate$20.50$31.90
Growth rate3%3%
Number of jobs8,85052,433
Job satisfaction-5
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 50%Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Average age3838
Years of experience1212

Graphic technician vs designer salary

Graphic technicians and designers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Graphic TechnicianDesigner
Average salary$42,632$66,347
Salary rangeBetween $30,000 And $60,000Between $45,000 And $97,000
Highest paying CityPhoenix, AZSeattle, WA
Highest paying stateWashingtonWashington
Best paying companyVentura County Community FoundationMeta
Best paying industryTechnologyTechnology

Differences between graphic technician and designer education

There are a few differences between a graphic technician and a designer in terms of educational background:

Graphic TechnicianDesigner
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 50%Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Most common majorGraphic DesignGraphic Design
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Pennsylvania

Graphic technician vs designer demographics

Here are the differences between graphic technicians' and designers' demographics:

Graphic TechnicianDesigner
Average age3838
Gender ratioMale, 58.3% Female, 41.7%Male, 56.9% Female, 43.1%
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 graphic technician and designer duties and responsibilities

Graphic technician example responsibilities.

  • Create spec sheets, perform mathematical typesetting, proofread comps and color separations, and manage file archive.
  • Apply graphics to vehicles, windows and billboards.
  • Typeset new jobs, printing and bindery work.
  • Maintain print files for digital retrieval on PC and Macintosh computers.
  • Operate copy center, run bindery equipment, and basic typesetting.
  • Maintain Macintosh and PC network with associate output devices (plotters, printers etc . )
  • Show more

Designer example responsibilities.

  • Lead & design all creative content stemming from apparel design to web identity.
  • Manage various PCB designs utilizing state of the art DFM techniques and comply with company standards.
  • Utilize CSS, DHTML, HTML, and JavaScript for cross browser, cross platform compatibility and consistency.
  • Develop different kinds of functions globally, locally for the development of forms using JavaScript, CSS.
  • Transform customer specifications into usable SolidWorks 3D models and assemblies from which all manufacturing are derived.
  • Process ECR's and ECO's using Windchill.
  • Show more

Graphic technician vs designer skills

Common graphic technician skills
  • Graphic Design, 16%
  • Adobe Illustrator, 14%
  • Adobe Photoshop, 9%
  • PC, 7%
  • Windows, 6%
  • Computer Graphics, 5%
Common designer skills
  • Sketch, 10%
  • Customer Service, 7%
  • Graphic Design, 6%
  • CSS, 5%
  • HTML, 4%
  • PowerPoint, 4%

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