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The differences between media specialists and multimedia 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 media specialist, becoming a multimedia designer takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a multimedia designer has an average salary of $61,468, which is higher than the $50,832 average annual salary of a media specialist.
The top three skills for a media specialist include digital marketing, video production and customer service. The most important skills for a multimedia designer are graphic design, video production, and animation.
| Media Specialist | Multimedia Designer | |
| Yearly salary | $50,832 | $61,468 |
| Hourly rate | $24.44 | $29.55 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 39,401 | 45,329 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Average age | 42 | 38 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 12 |
Media specialists are individuals who establish and administer content on various social media platforms. The job involves monitoring site metrics, overseeing creative design, and responding to reader comments. Specialists offer advice to administrators and teachers on the use of non-print social media. They work for huge enterprises with multimedia departments, new media departments, and in-house websites. The skills the job requires include trend awareness, social media ads, community management, strong visual aesthetic, and understanding SEO.
A multimedia designer is responsible for creating graphic content and animations for digital platforms and media advertisements. Multimedia designers produce high-quality visual materials according to business requirements and budget limitations. They coordinate with the whole design team for the accuracy of deliverables and modifications as needed. A multimedia designer must be highly technical and creative, especially in utilizing various software applications and programs to develop graphic animations that adhere to quality standards and ensuring its appeal to the target audience.
Media specialists and multimedia designers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Media Specialist | Multimedia Designer | |
| Average salary | $50,832 | $61,468 |
| Salary range | Between $35,000 And $73,000 | Between $44,000 And $83,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | Bellevue, WA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | Washington |
| Best paying company | BP America Inc | Amazon |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Real Estate |
There are a few differences between a media specialist and a multimedia designer in terms of educational background:
| Media Specialist | Multimedia Designer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Most common major | Communication | Graphic Design |
| Most common college | Stanford University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between media specialists' and multimedia designers' demographics:
| Media Specialist | Multimedia Designer | |
| Average age | 42 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 52.9% Female, 47.1% | Male, 71.2% Female, 28.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.3% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.2% Asian, 5.3% White, 66.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% | 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 | 12% | 13% |