Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between lead artists and graphic design managers 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 design manager takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a lead artist has an average salary of $83,041, which is higher than the $66,975 average annual salary of a graphic design manager.
The top three skills for a lead artist include maya, animation and portfolio. The most important skills for a graphic design manager are graphic design, project management, and customer service.
| Lead Artist | Graphic Design Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $83,041 | $66,975 |
| Hourly rate | $39.92 | $32.20 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 4,799 | 48,269 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| 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 design manager is primarily in charge of leading and overseeing the efforts of a graphic design team, ensuring adherence to goals and deadlines. It is their duty to learn and analyze the purpose of design, coordinate staff, liaise with internal and external parties, set goals and objectives, manage schedules, and conceptualize plans. Furthermore, as a graphic design manager, it is essential to lead and encourage teams to reach goals while implementing the company's policies and regulations, including its vision and mission.
Lead artists and graphic design managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Lead Artist | Graphic Design Manager | |
| Average salary | $83,041 | $66,975 |
| Salary range | Between $53,000 And $128,000 | Between $49,000 And $91,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Nevada | New York |
| Best paying company | Meta | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Finance |
There are a few differences between a lead artist and a graphic design manager in terms of educational background:
| Lead Artist | Graphic Design Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | 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 lead artists' and graphic design managers' demographics:
| Lead Artist | Graphic Design Manager | |
| Average age | 40 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 69.5% Female, 30.5% | Male, 48.9% Female, 51.1% |
| 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% |