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The differences between product designers and assistant 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 product designer, becoming an assistant designer takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a product designer has an average salary of $102,033, which is higher than the $52,475 average annual salary of an assistant designer.
The top three skills for a product designer include sketch, visual design and UI. The most important skills for an assistant designer are sketch, tech packs, and adobe illustrator.
| Product Designer | Assistant Designer | |
| Yearly salary | $102,033 | $52,475 |
| Hourly rate | $49.05 | $25.23 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 98,465 | 47,598 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Average age | 40 | 38 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 12 |
A product designer's key responsibilities are to perform design research, selecting the best materials, and develop user storyboards for the client and users' best interest. Product designers usually work with a whole design team, documenting suggestions to deliver high-quality outputs or improve existing products to match the market trends. They must also communicate with other skilled professionals to enhance their ideas and consult clients for any necessary adjustments that would affect the total user experience. A product designer should also have extensive knowledge of the consumer's preference to make the design more appealing and engaging.
Assistant designers act as administrative support to senior designers in creating innovative designs by negotiating with the vendors about the prices of decoration materials. They are keen and up-to-date to the latest fashion and trends by conducting surveys and research. They are exceptionally creative and innovative and have excellent IT skills as they use illustration, typography, and photography layouts in the design process. However, being an assistant designer, career development relies on his/her /her specialism, reputation, and experience depending on how its opportunities are influenced by the company he/she works for.
Product designers and assistant designers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Product Designer | Assistant Designer | |
| Average salary | $102,033 | $52,475 |
| Salary range | Between $68,000 And $152,000 | Between $37,000 And $73,000 |
| Highest paying City | Sacramento, CA | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Washington |
| Best paying company | Netflix | PVH |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Construction |
There are a few differences between a product designer and an assistant designer in terms of educational background:
| Product Designer | Assistant Designer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Most common major | Graphic Design | Graphic Design |
| Most common college | Carnegie Mellon University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between product designers' and assistant designers' demographics:
| Product Designer | Assistant Designer | |
| Average age | 40 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 74.2% Female, 25.8% | Male, 28.3% Female, 71.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 1.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.3% Asian, 10.1% White, 76.7% 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 | 8% | 13% |