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The differences between product designers and visual 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 a visual designer takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a product designer has an average salary of $102,033, which is higher than the $86,495 average annual salary of a visual designer.
The top three skills for a product designer include sketch, visual design and UI. The most important skills for a visual designer are sketch, visual design, and graphic design.
| Product Designer | Visual Designer | |
| Yearly salary | $102,033 | $86,495 |
| Hourly rate | $49.05 | $41.58 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 98,465 | 46,815 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 75% |
| 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.
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.
Product designers and visual designers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Product Designer | Visual Designer | |
| Average salary | $102,033 | $86,495 |
| Salary range | Between $68,000 And $152,000 | Between $51,000 And $143,000 |
| Highest paying City | Sacramento, CA | San Bruno, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | California |
| Best paying company | Netflix | ByteDance |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Start-up |
There are a few differences between a product designer and a visual designer in terms of educational background:
| Product Designer | Visual Designer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 75% |
| Most common major | Graphic Design | Graphic Design |
| Most common college | Carnegie Mellon University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between product designers' and visual designers' demographics:
| Product Designer | Visual Designer | |
| Average age | 40 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 74.2% Female, 25.8% | Male, 53.1% Female, 46.9% |
| 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% |