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The differences between lead artists and production 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 production artist takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a lead artist has an average salary of $83,041, which is higher than the $61,870 average annual salary of a production artist.
The top three skills for a lead artist include maya, animation and portfolio. The most important skills for a production artist are graphic design, adobe photoshop, and adobe creative suite.
| Lead Artist | Production Artist | |
| Yearly salary | $83,041 | $61,870 |
| Hourly rate | $39.92 | $29.75 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 4,799 | 59,103 |
| 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 production artist is responsible for managing digital content, meeting clients' standard specifications and requests for successful project completion. Production artists must have computer proficiency, especially on utilizing various software tools and applications to create illustrations and layouts. They also work closely with the creative team, cooperating in brainstorming sessions to ensure the consistency for each assigned task. A production artist should be keen on details, adjusting outputs as needed to maintain the highest quality for the actual presentation.
Lead artists and production artists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Lead Artist | Production Artist | |
| Average salary | $83,041 | $61,870 |
| Salary range | Between $53,000 And $128,000 | Between $40,000 And $94,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Nevada | Washington |
| Best paying company | Meta | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Technology | - |
There are a few differences between a lead artist and a production artist in terms of educational background:
| Lead Artist | Production Artist | |
| 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 production artists' demographics:
| Lead Artist | Production Artist | |
| Average age | 40 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 69.5% Female, 30.5% | Male, 57.2% Female, 42.8% |
| 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% |