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The differences between graphics specialists 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 graphics specialist and a designer. Additionally, a designer has an average salary of $66,347, which is higher than the $56,007 average annual salary of a graphics specialist.
The top three skills for a graphics specialist include graphic design, adobe illustrator and adobe photoshop. The most important skills for a designer are sketch, customer service, and graphic design.
| Graphics Specialist | Designer | |
| Yearly salary | $56,007 | $66,347 |
| Hourly rate | $26.93 | $31.90 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 12,267 | 52,433 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
A graphics specialist is an expert at conceptualizing and developing visual art for businesses or individuals, typically for marketing or information purposes. Moreover, there are also opportunities for employment in the web and media industry. As a graphics specialist, their responsibilities include liaising with clients to identify their needs, understanding the purpose and message of the project, developing proposals, coordinating with team members, and conducting revisions as needed, all while adhering to the goals and deadlines set by the client or management.
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.
Graphics specialists and designers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Graphics Specialist | Designer | |
| Average salary | $56,007 | $66,347 |
| Salary range | Between $38,000 And $81,000 | Between $45,000 And $97,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Washington |
| Best paying company | ZeniMax Media | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Technology |
There are a few differences between a graphics specialist and a designer in terms of educational background:
| Graphics Specialist | Designer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | 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 graphics specialists' and designers' demographics:
| Graphics Specialist | Designer | |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 53.4% Female, 46.6% | 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% |