Post job

Lead artist vs project and design lead

The differences between lead artists and project and design leads 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 project and design lead takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a project and design lead has an average salary of $89,305, which is higher than the $83,041 average annual salary of a lead artist.

The top three skills for a lead artist include maya, animation and portfolio. The most important skills for a project and design lead are CAD, construction drawings, and solidworks.

Lead artist vs project and design lead overview

Lead ArtistProject And Design Lead
Yearly salary$83,041$89,305
Hourly rate$39.92$42.94
Growth rate5%2%
Number of jobs4,79955,086
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 74%Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Average age4041
Years of experience26

Lead artist vs project and design lead salary

Lead artists and project and design leads have different pay scales, as shown below.

Lead ArtistProject And Design Lead
Average salary$83,041$89,305
Salary rangeBetween $53,000 And $128,000Between $67,000 And $118,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CARedwood City, CA
Highest paying stateNevadaCalifornia
Best paying companyMetaEli Lilly and Company
Best paying industryTechnologyFinance

Differences between lead artist and project and design lead education

There are a few differences between a lead artist and a project and design lead in terms of educational background:

Lead ArtistProject And Design Lead
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 74%Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Most common majorGraphic DesignMechanical Engineering
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaMichigan Technological University

Lead artist vs project and design lead demographics

Here are the differences between lead artists' and project and design leads' demographics:

Lead ArtistProject And Design Lead
Average age4041
Gender ratioMale, 69.5% Female, 30.5%Male, 77.1% Female, 22.9%
Race ratioBlack 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, 3.3% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 15.9% White, 67.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%
LGBT Percentage11%5%

Differences between lead artist and project and design lead duties and responsibilities

Lead artist example responsibilities.

  • Edit video, write copy for television, radio, and web-base commercials while managing the scheduling of all studio employees.
  • Model, texture, light, and render with Maya and proprietary tools.
  • Establish a standard level of quality for asset creation while enforcing efficiency of polygon and texture usage.
  • Create various assets for a number of PC titles.
  • Model, texture and direct outsourcing efforts for 3d environmental assets.
  • Color guides with lights/shadows, perspective, and composition help visually engage the audience in the final animation.
  • Show more

Project and design lead example responsibilities.

  • Deliver high-level n-tier architecture design, managing project expectations and timetables throughout all phases of development process.
  • Identify key areas for FPGA design improvement while isolating testing gaps in VHDL.
  • Request enhancements to the PLM product.
  • Work with composite materials, molds and SolidWorks.
  • Work with a 3rd party to utilize Solidworks EPDM software.
  • Develop requirements for customization of PLM product to suit Chrysler business processes.
  • Show more

Lead artist vs project and design lead skills

Common lead artist skills
  • Maya, 13%
  • Animation, 10%
  • Portfolio, 9%
  • ZBrush, 6%
  • UI, 6%
  • Texture, 5%
Common project and design lead skills
  • CAD, 12%
  • Construction Drawings, 8%
  • Solidworks, 6%
  • Design Concepts, 5%
  • R, 5%
  • QA, 5%

Browse arts, entertainment, sports, and media jobs