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The differences between lead designers and lead consultants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become a lead designer, becoming a lead consultant takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a lead designer has an average salary of $110,001, which is higher than the $103,221 average annual salary of a lead consultant.
The top three skills for a lead designer include sketch, user experience and architecture. The most important skills for a lead consultant are customer service, digital transformation, and business process.
| Lead Designer | Lead Consultant | |
| Yearly salary | $110,001 | $103,221 |
| Hourly rate | $52.89 | $49.63 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 45,423 | 78,252 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Average age | 38 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 6 |
A lead designer is responsible for addressing the clients' needs of digital content and coordinating with the design team for the planning and innovation of the visual design and concept. Lead designers conduct the initial layout of frameworks and collaborate with the art staff for the specifications and outputs using various software applications and digital boards. They regularly update the client of the project's status, including adjustment and design recommendations, ensuring that the plan meets the client's budget goals. A lead designer must have excellent communication and organizational skills, especially on running diagnostic tests to improve optimal performance.
The lead consultants oversee the work of a consultant team and are responsible for offering clients their advice and recommendations on the given project. They are multi-focus experts that assist the company in improving its business performance by acting as liaisons between clients and the consultancy team. Their main job is to ensure the daily management of client's projects. They help the client identify and understand their needs together with finding solutions to their difficulties. Additionally, they analyze and review proposals from the team and then provide relevant solutions to the problems.
Lead designers and lead consultants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Lead Designer | Lead Consultant | |
| Average salary | $110,001 | $103,221 |
| Salary range | Between $78,000 And $154,000 | Between $80,000 And $132,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Airbnb | |
| Best paying industry | Start-up | Technology |
There are a few differences between a lead designer and a lead consultant in terms of educational background:
| Lead Designer | Lead Consultant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Most common major | Graphic Design | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between lead designers' and lead consultants' demographics:
| Lead Designer | Lead Consultant | |
| Average age | 38 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 73.2% Female, 26.8% | Male, 67.9% Female, 32.1% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 9.9% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 10.7% Asian, 19.5% White, 54.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 13% | 8% |