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The differences between lead artists and graphic artists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a lead artist, becoming a graphic artist takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a lead artist has an average salary of $83,041, which is higher than the $54,900 average annual salary of a graphic artist.
The top three skills for a lead artist include maya, animation and portfolio. The most important skills for a graphic artist are graphic design, adobe photoshop, and adobe illustrator.
| Lead Artist | Graphic Artist | |
| Yearly salary | $83,041 | $54,900 |
| Hourly rate | $39.92 | $26.39 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 4,799 | 8,752 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Average age | 40 | 38 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 12 |
The duties of a lead artist depend on one's line of work or industry of employment. Typically, their responsibilities revolve around liaising with clients to identify and meet their needs, coordinating with the creative staff in developing concepts and samples to present to the clients, conducting revisions, and submitting finished works according to the prescribed format and manner. Furthermore, as a lead artist, it is essential to spearhead the efforts and encourage the team to reach goals, all while adhering to the company's policies and regulations, including the clients' vision.
A graphic artist is either an illustrator or an animator who creates art work that will be used in graphic projects such as advertisements, posters, or even book covers. Although a graphic artist has his/her own style of artwork, he/she may be often commissioned to create art specifically for a particular project. A graphic artist may work with a graphic designer in order to convey the overall message of a project. The portfolio of a graphic artist includes cartoons, illustrations, and graphic novels.
Lead artists and graphic artists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Lead Artist | Graphic Artist | |
| Average salary | $83,041 | $54,900 |
| Salary range | Between $53,000 And $128,000 | Between $35,000 And $84,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Bellevue, WA |
| Highest paying state | Nevada | Washington |
| Best paying company | Meta | Parsons |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Non Profits |
There are a few differences between a lead artist and a graphic artist in terms of educational background:
| Lead Artist | Graphic Artist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | 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 lead artists' and graphic artists' demographics:
| Lead Artist | Graphic Artist | |
| Average age | 40 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 69.5% Female, 30.5% | Male, 54.6% Female, 45.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 5.8% Hispanic or Latino, 14.0% Asian, 7.6% White, 67.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | 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 | 11% | 13% |