Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between lead designers and project designers 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 project designer takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a lead designer has an average salary of $110,001, which is higher than the $64,943 average annual salary of a project designer.
The top three skills for a lead designer include sketch, user experience and architecture. The most important skills for a project designer are revit, sketch, and design concepts.
| Lead Designer | Project Designer | |
| Yearly salary | $110,001 | $64,943 |
| Hourly rate | $52.89 | $31.22 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 1% |
| Number of jobs | 45,423 | 60,364 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Average age | 38 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 4 |
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 Project Designer provides assistance in project design and development activities based on customer requirements. They develop solutions to client architectural complexities.
Lead designers and project designers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Lead Designer | Project Designer | |
| Average salary | $110,001 | $64,943 |
| Salary range | Between $78,000 And $154,000 | Between $47,000 And $89,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | New Mexico |
| Best paying company | Airbnb | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Start-up | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a lead designer and a project designer in terms of educational background:
| Lead Designer | Project Designer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Most common major | Graphic Design | Architecture |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Cornell University |
Here are the differences between lead designers' and project designers' demographics:
| Lead Designer | Project Designer | |
| Average age | 38 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 73.2% Female, 26.8% | Male, 66.5% Female, 33.5% |
| 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, 1.5% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 7.6% Asian, 4.6% White, 82.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 13% | 23% |