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Owner & designer vs graphic designer

The differences between owner & designers and graphic designers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both an owner & designer and a graphic designer. Additionally, a graphic designer has an average salary of $49,450, which is higher than the $48,688 average annual salary of an owner & designer.

The top three skills for an owner & designer include customer service, graphic design and website design. The most important skills for a graphic designer are adobe creative suite, adobe photoshop, and adobe illustrator.

Owner & designer vs graphic designer overview

Owner & DesignerGraphic Designer
Yearly salary$48,688$49,450
Hourly rate$23.41$23.77
Growth rate3%3%
Number of jobs91,49045,625
Job satisfaction-5
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 63%Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Average age3838
Years of experience1212

What does an owner & designer do?

Owners/designers are responsible for the overall creation of their designs, including the marketing campaigns to boost their brand image, and hiring people to help them execute the production for desired results. They also reach out to potential clients to offer their services, negotiate contract terms and payments, and work within the clients' specifications and timeframe. Owners/designers must have excellent communication and leadership skills, especially on enforcing critical business decisions that would define the owner's strategies and market performance.

What does a graphic designer do?

Graphic designers are visual communicators who create graphic ideas to deliver a message through art and images which inspire, inform, and motivate consumers with the use of computer software, especially Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign or by hand. They have the ability to design stunning illustrations that are easily understood, even without a lot of thinking or based on the demand of their clients. It is very crucial to them as well to be flexible and to stay on top of the design trends. They create websites, posters, packaging, logos, advertising, and marketing materials, depending on the nature of the business.

Owner & designer vs graphic designer salary

Owner & designers and graphic designers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Owner & DesignerGraphic Designer
Average salary$48,688$49,450
Salary rangeBetween $32,000 And $72,000Between $34,000 And $69,000
Highest paying City-Washington, DC
Highest paying state-Massachusetts
Best paying company-Meta
Best paying industry-Technology

Differences between owner & designer and graphic designer education

There are a few differences between an owner & designer and a graphic designer in terms of educational background:

Owner & DesignerGraphic Designer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 63%Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Most common majorGraphic DesignGraphic Design
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Pennsylvania

Owner & designer vs graphic designer demographics

Here are the differences between owner & designers' and graphic designers' demographics:

Owner & DesignerGraphic Designer
Average age3838
Gender ratioMale, 36.1% Female, 63.9%Male, 49.8% Female, 50.2%
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 owner & designer and graphic designer duties and responsibilities

Owner & designer example responsibilities.

  • Manage production in NYC and overseas.
  • Manage purchase orders, estimates, invoices, and all financial bookkeeping in QuickBooks software, including quarterly sales tax.
  • Update and maintain a local church youth group's website using HTML and CSS.
  • Design and maintain a local artist's web gallery using HTML, CSS, and a third-party shopping cart system.
  • Develop backend using PHP and MySQL
  • Define and implement CSS across web pages.
  • Show more

Graphic designer example responsibilities.

  • Lead the transition from paste-up, typesetting, pasting up page layout to digital ad/page building and web printing.
  • Design new template for magazine as well as ads, flyers, brochures, and cards for a variety of events.
  • Plan the development of a social networking site website using HTML, CSS, PHP, and a WordPress management system.
  • Compose and create daily advertisements for national automotive dealerships utilizing typography and design concepts while adhering to corporate brand standards.
  • Follow style guide requirements to maintain brand integrity with specific treatments of photography, typography, graphic elements and team/sponsor/arena logos.
  • Create UI kit for the website.
  • Show more

Owner & designer vs graphic designer skills

Common owner & designer skills
  • Customer Service, 24%
  • Graphic Design, 7%
  • Website Design, 5%
  • Jewelry, 5%
  • Art Shows, 5%
  • Photography, 5%
Common graphic designer skills
  • Adobe Creative Suite, 6%
  • Adobe Photoshop, 6%
  • Adobe Illustrator, 6%
  • Typography, 5%
  • Brochures, 5%
  • Design Concepts, 5%

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