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Multimedia designer vs visual designer

The differences between multimedia designers and visual 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 multimedia designer and a visual designer. Additionally, a visual designer has an average salary of $86,495, which is higher than the $61,468 average annual salary of a multimedia designer.

The top three skills for a multimedia designer include graphic design, video production and animation. The most important skills for a visual designer are sketch, visual design, and graphic design.

Multimedia designer vs visual designer overview

Multimedia DesignerVisual Designer
Yearly salary$61,468$86,495
Hourly rate$29.55$41.58
Growth rate3%3%
Number of jobs45,32946,815
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 70%Bachelor's Degree, 75%
Average age3838
Years of experience1212

What does a multimedia designer do?

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.

What does a visual designer do?

A visual designer is someone who creates designs for a variety of platforms such as Internet and intranet sites, games, and wearables. The duties of visual designers depend on the specific project or industry in which they are working. Duties include creating user-centered interaction models, working with information technology and business teams to resolve complex issues, and designing logos, icons, and infographics. The qualifications to become a visual designer include possessing strong problem-solving, communication, and negotiation skills and obtaining a bachelor's degree in design.

Multimedia designer vs visual designer salary

Multimedia designers and visual designers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Multimedia DesignerVisual Designer
Average salary$61,468$86,495
Salary rangeBetween $44,000 And $83,000Between $51,000 And $143,000
Highest paying CityBellevue, WASan Bruno, CA
Highest paying stateWashingtonCalifornia
Best paying companyAmazonByteDance
Best paying industryReal EstateStart-up

Differences between multimedia designer and visual designer education

There are a few differences between a multimedia designer and a visual designer in terms of educational background:

Multimedia DesignerVisual Designer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 70%Bachelor's Degree, 75%
Most common majorGraphic DesignGraphic Design
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Pennsylvania

Multimedia designer vs visual designer demographics

Here are the differences between multimedia designers' and visual designers' demographics:

Multimedia DesignerVisual Designer
Average age3838
Gender ratioMale, 71.2% Female, 28.8%Male, 53.1% Female, 46.9%
Race ratioBlack 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 Percentage13%13%

Differences between multimedia designer and visual designer duties and responsibilities

Multimedia designer example responsibilities.

  • Manage website redesign including copywriting and updating all website content.
  • Launch new websites using HTML5, CSS and Wordpress.
  • Assist in the development of some client websites as well as basic SEO, site linking, HTML and CSS cleanup.
  • Design and develop dynamic websites, CSS and HTML coding, optimization of graphics, illustrations, photos and web icons.
  • Create and develop the UI for an in house video CMS.
  • Pose and render characters in Maya as well as in-game tools.
  • Show more

Visual designer example responsibilities.

  • Design, project manage, and build retail stores from sketch to completion.
  • Manage website redesign including copywriting and updating all website content.
  • Produce and deliver HTML5, CSS3 and graphical items.
  • Design team brand and logo for organization.
  • Provide approved design in HTML5 to web developer for publishing.
  • Utilize expertise in Photoshop CS6, HTML5/CSS, Squarespace, and JavaScript.
  • Show more

Multimedia designer vs visual designer skills

Common multimedia designer skills
  • Graphic Design, 9%
  • Video Production, 9%
  • Animation, 7%
  • Adobe Creative Suite, 6%
  • Motion Graphics, 5%
  • Photography, 5%
Common visual designer skills
  • Sketch, 19%
  • Visual Design, 8%
  • Graphic Design, 5%
  • UI, 5%
  • User Experience, 4%
  • Visualization, 4%

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