Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between graphics specialists and graphic 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 graphic designer. Additionally, a graphics specialist has an average salary of $56,007, which is higher than the $49,450 average annual salary of a graphic designer.
The top three skills for a graphics specialist include graphic design, adobe illustrator and adobe photoshop. The most important skills for a graphic designer are adobe creative suite, adobe photoshop, and adobe illustrator.
| Graphics Specialist | Graphic Designer | |
| Yearly salary | $56,007 | $49,450 |
| Hourly rate | $26.93 | $23.77 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 12,267 | 45,625 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| 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.
Graphic designers are visual communicators who create graphic ideas to deliver a message through art and images which inspire, inform, and motivate consumers with the use of computer software, especially Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign or by hand. They have the ability to design stunning illustrations that are easily understood, even without a lot of thinking or based on the demand of their clients. It is very crucial to them as well to be flexible and to stay on top of the design trends. They create websites, posters, packaging, logos, advertising, and marketing materials, depending on the nature of the business.
Graphics specialists and graphic designers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Graphics Specialist | Graphic Designer | |
| Average salary | $56,007 | $49,450 |
| Salary range | Between $38,000 And $81,000 | Between $34,000 And $69,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | ZeniMax Media | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Technology |
There are a few differences between a graphics specialist and a graphic designer in terms of educational background:
| Graphics Specialist | Graphic Designer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Most common major | Graphic Design | Graphic Design |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between graphics specialists' and graphic designers' demographics:
| Graphics Specialist | Graphic Designer | |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 53.4% Female, 46.6% | Male, 49.8% Female, 50.2% |
| 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% |