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The differences between lighting designers and designers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a lighting designer, becoming a designer takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a designer has an average salary of $66,347, which is higher than the $53,542 average annual salary of a lighting designer.
The top three skills for a lighting designer include revit, photoshop and light fixtures. The most important skills for a designer are sketch, customer service, and graphic design.
| Lighting Designer | Designer | |
| Yearly salary | $53,542 | $66,347 |
| Hourly rate | $25.74 | $31.90 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 46,203 | 52,433 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Average age | 40 | 38 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 12 |
Lighting Designers are responsible for developing and implementing electrical and lighting systems. They are responsible for conducting site assessment and analysis, liaise with clients and engineers to determine technical specifications, design lighting plans, create budget reports for a project initiated, track progress targets, install electrical and lighting systems and ensures installation adheres to local energy regulation as well as building codes. Lighting designers work in commercial, industrial, or residential spaces and must demonstrate computer software proficiency such as AutoCAD and Adobe Creative Suites.
A designer is someone who creates a master plan of the look or workings of something before it will be made. It could be tangible or intangible objects, products, procedures, laws, events, games, graphics, services, and even experiences. Designers are creative thinkers with a great eye to configure the skeletal and structural properties of the targeted output. They work in several fields, such as fashion, architecture, web graphics, and user experience. In spite of the variety of professionals in the design industry, all of them are artistic, passionate, inspiring, and emotionally connected to their projects and brands.
Lighting designers and designers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Lighting Designer | Designer | |
| Average salary | $53,542 | $66,347 |
| Salary range | Between $34,000 And $83,000 | Between $45,000 And $97,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | Washington |
| Best paying company | Rivian | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Technology |
There are a few differences between a lighting designer and a designer in terms of educational background:
| Lighting Designer | Designer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Most common major | Theatre | Graphic Design |
| Most common college | Stanford University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between lighting designers' and designers' demographics:
| Lighting Designer | Designer | |
| Average age | 40 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 65.0% Female, 35.0% | Male, 56.9% Female, 43.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 1.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.3% Asian, 10.1% White, 76.7% 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 | 8% | 13% |