Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between graphics illustrators and assistant 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 graphics illustrator and an assistant designer. Additionally, a graphics illustrator has an average salary of $64,943, which is higher than the $52,475 average annual salary of an assistant designer.
The top three skills for a graphics illustrator include adobe photoshop, graphic design and adobe indesign. The most important skills for an assistant designer are sketch, tech packs, and adobe illustrator.
| Graphics Illustrator | Assistant Designer | |
| Yearly salary | $64,943 | $52,475 |
| Hourly rate | $31.22 | $25.23 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 2,854 | 47,598 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
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.
Assistant designers act as administrative support to senior designers in creating innovative designs by negotiating with the vendors about the prices of decoration materials. They are keen and up-to-date to the latest fashion and trends by conducting surveys and research. They are exceptionally creative and innovative and have excellent IT skills as they use illustration, typography, and photography layouts in the design process. However, being an assistant designer, career development relies on his/her /her specialism, reputation, and experience depending on how its opportunities are influenced by the company he/she works for.
Graphics illustrators and assistant designers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Graphics Illustrator | Assistant Designer | |
| Average salary | $64,943 | $52,475 |
| Salary range | Between $41,000 And $101,000 | Between $37,000 And $73,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | California | Washington |
| Best paying company | Uber Technologies | PVH |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Construction |
There are a few differences between a graphics illustrator and an assistant designer in terms of educational background:
| Graphics Illustrator | Assistant Designer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Most common major | Graphic Design | Graphic Design |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between graphics illustrators' and assistant designers' demographics:
| Graphics Illustrator | Assistant Designer | |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 52.9% Female, 47.1% | Male, 28.3% Female, 71.7% |
| 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% |