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The differences between production 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 a production designer and a graphic designer. Additionally, a production designer has an average salary of $54,760, which is higher than the $49,450 average annual salary of a graphic designer.
The top three skills for a production designer include sketch, graphic design and adobe creative suite. The most important skills for a graphic designer are adobe creative suite, adobe photoshop, and adobe illustrator.
| Production Designer | Graphic Designer | |
| Yearly salary | $54,760 | $49,450 |
| Hourly rate | $26.33 | $23.77 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 96,682 | 45,625 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
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.
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.
Production designers and graphic designers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Production Designer | Graphic Designer | |
| Average salary | $54,760 | $49,450 |
| Salary range | Between $36,000 And $82,000 | Between $34,000 And $69,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | California | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Meta | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Internet | Technology |
There are a few differences between a production designer and a graphic designer in terms of educational background:
| Production Designer | Graphic Designer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Most common major | Graphic Design | Graphic Design |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between production designers' and graphic designers' demographics:
| Production Designer | Graphic Designer | |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 55.4% Female, 44.6% | Male, 49.8% Female, 50.2% |
| 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% |