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The differences between production designers and directors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become a production designer, becoming a director takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a director has an average salary of $113,489, which is higher than the $54,760 average annual salary of a production designer.
The top three skills for a production designer include sketch, graphic design and adobe creative suite. The most important skills for a director are healthcare, customer service, and oversight.
| Production Designer | Director | |
| Yearly salary | $54,760 | $113,489 |
| Hourly rate | $26.33 | $54.56 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 96,682 | 230,711 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Average age | 38 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 6 |
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.
Directors work in show business, whether in a film, a television show, or a theatre production. They are responsible for bringing the material to life. They work with the writers to get a clear vision of how the production should look. They lead the production team in planning for the production, identifying filming or rehearsing schedules, casting for roles, and other aspects that need to be decided upon. Directors provide direction to the actors to ensure that the actors understand their role and will be able to effectively convey emotions to the audience. They also manage all other crew members and communicate their expectations clearly so that everyone on the set is working towards one vision.
Production designers and directors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Production Designer | Director | |
| Average salary | $54,760 | $113,489 |
| Salary range | Between $36,000 And $82,000 | Between $66,000 And $192,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | California | New York |
| Best paying company | Meta | Mayo Clinic |
| Best paying industry | Internet | Finance |
There are a few differences between a production designer and a director in terms of educational background:
| Production Designer | Director | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Most common major | Graphic Design | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between production designers' and directors' demographics:
| Production Designer | Director | |
| Average age | 38 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 55.4% Female, 44.6% | Male, 53.2% Female, 46.8% |
| 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, 7.9% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 14.5% Asian, 6.4% White, 65.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 13% | 14% |