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The differences between production designers and layout 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 layout designer. Additionally, a layout designer has an average salary of $94,509, 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 layout designer are CAD, CMOS, and layout design.
| Production Designer | Layout Designer | |
| Yearly salary | $54,760 | $94,509 |
| Hourly rate | $26.33 | $45.44 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 96,682 | 43,997 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 57% |
| 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.
A layout designer is responsible for designing and creating attractive layouts for publications and marketing materials. Layout designers utilize various software design applications and systems, requiring them to have excellent computer skills for efficient navigation. They work closely with the whole design and graphic teams for content consistency and adherence to quality standards and requirements. A layout designer evaluates the current market trends to identify media elements and modify designs that meet public demands and interests.
Production designers and layout designers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Production Designer | Layout Designer | |
| Average salary | $54,760 | $94,509 |
| Salary range | Between $36,000 And $82,000 | Between $59,000 And $149,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Internet | - |
There are a few differences between a production designer and a layout designer in terms of educational background:
| Production Designer | Layout Designer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 57% |
| Most common major | Graphic Design | Graphic Design |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between production designers' and layout designers' demographics:
| Production Designer | Layout Designer | |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 55.4% Female, 44.6% | Male, 60.0% Female, 40.0% |
| 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% |