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The differences between owner & designers and production 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 production designer. Additionally, a production designer has an average salary of $54,760, 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 production designer are sketch, graphic design, and adobe creative suite.
| Owner & Designer | Production Designer | |
| Yearly salary | $48,688 | $54,760 |
| Hourly rate | $23.41 | $26.33 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 91,490 | 96,682 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
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.
A production designer is responsible for monitoring the visual presentation of a media or theatre production, ensuring the set's adherence to the theme, and presenting visual elements according to the production requirements. Production designers research the current industry trends for creative ideas that would attract the audience, creating outstanding visual pictures throughout the production. In most cases, production designers also operate software systems and tools to suggest graphic effects and support the artistic team for deliverables. A production designer develops all visual plans within the budget goals and discusses adjustments to the production management team as needed.
Owner & designers and production designers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Owner & Designer | Production Designer | |
| Average salary | $48,688 | $54,760 |
| Salary range | Between $32,000 And $72,000 | Between $36,000 And $82,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | - | California |
| Best paying company | - | Meta |
| Best paying industry | - | Internet |
There are a few differences between an owner & designer and a production designer in terms of educational background:
| Owner & Designer | Production Designer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Most common major | Graphic Design | Graphic Design |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between owner & designers' and production designers' demographics:
| Owner & Designer | Production Designer | |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 36.1% Female, 63.9% | Male, 55.4% Female, 44.6% |
| 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% |