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The differences between lead designers and production designers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a lead designer and a production designer. Additionally, a lead designer has an average salary of $110,001, which is higher than the $54,760 average annual salary of a production designer.
The top three skills for a lead designer include sketch, user experience and architecture. The most important skills for a production designer are sketch, graphic design, and adobe creative suite.
| Lead Designer | Production Designer | |
| Yearly salary | $110,001 | $54,760 |
| Hourly rate | $52.89 | $26.33 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 45,423 | 96,682 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
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.
A production designer is responsible for monitoring the visual presentation of a media or theatre production, ensuring the set's adherence to the theme, and presenting visual elements according to the production requirements. Production designers research the current industry trends for creative ideas that would attract the audience, creating outstanding visual pictures throughout the production. In most cases, production designers also operate software systems and tools to suggest graphic effects and support the artistic team for deliverables. A production designer develops all visual plans within the budget goals and discusses adjustments to the production management team as needed.
Lead designers and production designers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Lead Designer | Production Designer | |
| Average salary | $110,001 | $54,760 |
| Salary range | Between $78,000 And $154,000 | Between $36,000 And $82,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Airbnb | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Start-up | Internet |
There are a few differences between a lead designer and a production designer in terms of educational background:
| Lead Designer | Production Designer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Most common major | Graphic Design | Graphic Design |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between lead designers' and production designers' demographics:
| Lead Designer | Production Designer | |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 73.2% Female, 26.8% | Male, 55.4% Female, 44.6% |
| 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, 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 | 13% | 13% |