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The differences between head designers 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 head designer and a graphic designer. Additionally, a head designer has an average salary of $116,986, which is higher than the $49,450 average annual salary of a graphic designer.
The top three skills for a head designer include product design, UI and sketch. The most important skills for a graphic designer are adobe creative suite, adobe photoshop, and adobe illustrator.
| Head Designer | Graphic Designer | |
| Yearly salary | $116,986 | $49,450 |
| Hourly rate | $56.24 | $23.77 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 53,876 | 45,625 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
The Head Designer is the overall command over the creative team's design and the entire company. The heads of the organization look toward the head designer to provide insights into the artistic path the company will take to achieve a unique brand in the market. The head designer is highly-creative, good in management, and can articulate abstract ideas clearly and relay them to company administrators, customers, and clients. A head designer's responsibilities are to handle the creative team, train each member, and provide guidance in every part of the designing process.
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.
Head designers and graphic designers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Head Designer | Graphic Designer | |
| Average salary | $116,986 | $49,450 |
| Salary range | Between $71,000 And $191,000 | Between $34,000 And $69,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | California | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Airbnb | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Hospitality | Technology |
There are a few differences between a head designer and a graphic designer in terms of educational background:
| Head Designer | Graphic Designer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | 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 head designers' and graphic designers' demographics:
| Head Designer | Graphic Designer | |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 50.1% Female, 49.9% | 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% |