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The differences between production directors and production designers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a production director, becoming a production designer takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a production director has an average salary of $118,207, which is higher than the $54,760 average annual salary of a production designer.
The top three skills for a production director include video production, project management and oversight. The most important skills for a production designer are sketch, graphic design, and adobe creative suite.
| Production Director | Production Designer | |
| Yearly salary | $118,207 | $54,760 |
| Hourly rate | $56.83 | $26.33 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 59,417 | 96,682 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Average age | 40 | 38 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 12 |
Production directors work with production teams to manage the operation workflow, quality, and schedule adherence. They also monitor production activities to make necessary adjustments to the schedule to ensure that all deliverables are delivered on time, develop ideas for process improvements, and optimize production speed while maintaining the quality of the products. There are a few skills that most employers look for in production directors, like analytical skills, leadership skills, and creativity which are very helpful in fulfilling this role.
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.
Production directors and production designers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Production Director | Production Designer | |
| Average salary | $118,207 | $54,760 |
| Salary range | Between $70,000 And $199,000 | Between $36,000 And $82,000 |
| Highest paying City | White Plains, NY | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Connecticut | California |
| Best paying company | Netflix | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Internet |
There are a few differences between a production director and a production designer in terms of educational background:
| Production Director | Production Designer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Most common major | Communication | Graphic Design |
| Most common college | Stanford University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between production directors' and production designers' demographics:
| Production Director | Production Designer | |
| Average age | 40 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 70.0% Female, 30.0% | Male, 55.4% Female, 44.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 7.9% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 14.6% Asian, 6.4% White, 65.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | 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 | 14% | 13% |