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The differences between media designers and lead 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 media designer and a lead designer. Additionally, a lead designer has an average salary of $110,001, which is higher than the $54,018 average annual salary of a media designer.
The top three skills for a media designer include graphic design, animation and motion graphics. The most important skills for a lead designer are sketch, user experience, and architecture.
| Media Designer | Lead Designer | |
| Yearly salary | $54,018 | $110,001 |
| Hourly rate | $25.97 | $52.89 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 52,989 | 45,423 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
A media designer is a marketing professional who plans, visualizes, and creates marketing materials such as printed documents, electronic or web-based media based on the business needs and guidance from team members in a company. Media designers must develop brand loyalty among customers about the company's line of products. They are required to make known the image of a given company using graphics, design, video, or interactivity to draw in users or customers. Media designers must also create a social marketing presence by establishing blogs or networking pages on a company's website.
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.
Media designers and lead designers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Media Designer | Lead Designer | |
| Average salary | $54,018 | $110,001 |
| Salary range | Between $39,000 And $73,000 | Between $78,000 And $154,000 |
| Highest paying City | Brookline, MA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | California |
| Best paying company | McKinsey & Company Inc | Airbnb |
| Best paying industry | Media | Start-up |
There are a few differences between a media designer and a lead designer in terms of educational background:
| Media Designer | Lead Designer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Most common major | Graphic Design | Graphic Design |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between media designers' and lead designers' demographics:
| Media Designer | Lead Designer | |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 66.6% Female, 33.4% | Male, 73.2% Female, 26.8% |
| 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% |