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Junior graphic designer vs freelance designer

The differences between junior graphic designers and freelance 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 junior graphic designer and a freelance designer. Additionally, a freelance designer has an average salary of $57,260, which is higher than the $44,518 average annual salary of a junior graphic designer.

The top three skills for a junior graphic designer include graphic design, adobe creative suite and powerpoint. The most important skills for a freelance designer are sketch, CSS, and HTML.

Junior graphic designer vs freelance designer overview

Junior Graphic DesignerFreelance Designer
Yearly salary$44,518$57,260
Hourly rate$21.40$27.53
Growth rate3%3%
Number of jobs55,46045,914
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 77%Bachelor's Degree, 73%
Average age3838
Years of experience1212

What does a junior graphic designer do?

A junior graphic designer is an entry-level professional who creates imaginative and impressive designs that promote the vision of an organization. Under the supervision of a senior graphic designer, junior graphic designers must help design digital marketing materials by using graphic design applications such as Adobe Photoshop and InDesign. They must collaborate with the team to launch projects and improve their skills by using feedback from other designers. Junior graphic designers should also be able to create logos, banners, and interfaces.

What does a freelance designer do?

Freelance designers are creative, independent contractors who create visual and graphic designs for their clients. They develop text and illustrated versions of brands, messages, and communications with strong visible influence with their clients. Typical activities include networking, seeking projects, and negotiating prices to their customers. They manage client proposals, develop concepts, present solutions, and ensure the timely completion of projects. Freelance visual and graphic designers are creative, self-motivated as well as result and deadline oriented.

Junior graphic designer vs freelance designer salary

Junior graphic designers and freelance designers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Junior Graphic DesignerFreelance Designer
Average salary$44,518$57,260
Salary rangeBetween $31,000 And $62,000Between $39,000 And $83,000
Highest paying CityWashington, DC-
Highest paying stateNew York-
Best paying companyMcKinsey & Company Inc-
Best paying industryProfessional-

Differences between junior graphic designer and freelance designer education

There are a few differences between a junior graphic designer and a freelance designer in terms of educational background:

Junior Graphic DesignerFreelance Designer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 77%Bachelor's Degree, 73%
Most common majorGraphic DesignGraphic Design
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Pennsylvania

Junior graphic designer vs freelance designer demographics

Here are the differences between junior graphic designers' and freelance designers' demographics:

Junior Graphic DesignerFreelance Designer
Average age3838
Gender ratioMale, 45.7% Female, 54.3%Male, 48.0% Female, 52.0%
Race ratioBlack 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 Percentage13%13%

Differences between junior graphic designer and freelance designer duties and responsibilities

Junior graphic designer example responsibilities.

  • Manage website redesign including copywriting and updating all website content.
  • Assist in creation and launch of Google banners, newspaper advertisements, and the design of client PowerPoint presentations.
  • Help in the development of their marketing and advertising collateral, mainly coupons, flyers, posters, etc.
  • Design advertisement campaign for newspapers, magazines, grocery shoppers, flyers, banners and a wide range of print media.
  • Code HTML email templates to be send out to a mailing list weekly.
  • Implement a model for advertising to online real estate search engines using HTML language.
  • Show more

Freelance designer example responsibilities.

  • Lead the transition from paste-up, typesetting, pasting up page layout to digital ad/page building and web printing.
  • Hand-Code HTML, CSS, JS and PHP for custom design solutions and form processing, validation, and animations.
  • Provide identity and stationery design, web design, HTML / CSS development and WordPress integration (content management system).
  • Image manipulation in platforms such as Photoshop and illustrator as per assign.
  • Develop high-qualityshop drawings for all casework to be build by in-house woodshop.
  • Design websites, landing pages, banner ads, pop-ups, and HTML emails.
  • Show more

Junior graphic designer vs freelance designer skills

Common junior graphic designer skills
  • Graphic Design, 16%
  • Adobe Creative Suite, 8%
  • PowerPoint, 5%
  • HTML, 4%
  • Digital Marketing, 4%
  • Adobe Photoshop, 3%
Common freelance designer skills
  • Sketch, 11%
  • CSS, 7%
  • HTML, 6%
  • Adobe Photoshop, 6%
  • Adobe Illustrator, 6%
  • Photography, 5%

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