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The differences between level designers and freelance 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 level designer and a freelance designer. Additionally, a level designer has an average salary of $96,455, which is higher than the $57,260 average annual salary of a freelance designer.
The top three skills for a level designer include unreal engine, unity and maya. The most important skills for a freelance designer are sketch, CSS, and HTML.
| Level Designer | Freelance Designer | |
| Yearly salary | $96,455 | $57,260 |
| Hourly rate | $46.37 | $27.53 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 45,696 | 45,914 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
A level designer is an expert at designing and developing gameplays, including its characters and obstacles. Their responsibilities revolve around coordinating with the creative and development teams, conceptualizing plans and diagrams, performing extensive research and analysis, studying client feedback and current market trends, constructing prototypes, and performing tests to ensure the efficiency of the game. Furthermore, as a level designer, it is essential to monitor the entire production process, coordinating with staff every step of the way for quality end products.
Freelance designers are creative, independent contractors who create visual and graphic designs for their clients. They develop text and illustrated versions of brands, messages, and communications with strong visible influence with their clients. Typical activities include networking, seeking projects, and negotiating prices to their customers. They manage client proposals, develop concepts, present solutions, and ensure the timely completion of projects. Freelance visual and graphic designers are creative, self-motivated as well as result and deadline oriented.
Level designers and freelance designers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Level Designer | Freelance Designer | |
| Average salary | $96,455 | $57,260 |
| Salary range | Between $62,000 And $148,000 | Between $39,000 And $83,000 |
| Highest paying City | Novato, CA | - |
| Highest paying state | California | - |
| Best paying company | Meta | - |
| Best paying industry | Technology | - |
There are a few differences between a level designer and a freelance designer in terms of educational background:
| Level Designer | Freelance Designer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Most common major | Graphic Design | Graphic Design |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between level designers' and freelance designers' demographics:
| Level Designer | Freelance Designer | |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 87.2% Female, 12.8% | Male, 48.0% Female, 52.0% |
| 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% |