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The differences between head designers and layout 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 layout designer. Additionally, a head designer has an average salary of $116,986, which is higher than the $94,509 average annual salary of a layout designer.
The top three skills for a head designer include product design, UI and sketch. The most important skills for a layout designer are CAD, CMOS, and layout design.
| Head Designer | Layout Designer | |
| Yearly salary | $116,986 | $94,509 |
| Hourly rate | $56.24 | $45.44 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 53,876 | 43,997 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 57% |
| 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.
A layout designer is responsible for designing and creating attractive layouts for publications and marketing materials. Layout designers utilize various software design applications and systems, requiring them to have excellent computer skills for efficient navigation. They work closely with the whole design and graphic teams for content consistency and adherence to quality standards and requirements. A layout designer evaluates the current market trends to identify media elements and modify designs that meet public demands and interests.
Head designers and layout designers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Head Designer | Layout Designer | |
| Average salary | $116,986 | $94,509 |
| Salary range | Between $71,000 And $191,000 | Between $59,000 And $149,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Airbnb | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Hospitality | - |
There are a few differences between a head designer and a layout designer in terms of educational background:
| Head Designer | Layout Designer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 57% |
| Most common major | Graphic Design | Graphic Design |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between head designers' and layout designers' demographics:
| Head Designer | Layout Designer | |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 50.1% Female, 49.9% | Male, 60.0% Female, 40.0% |
| 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% |