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The differences between production graphic artists 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 graphic artist and a graphic designer. Additionally, a production graphic artist has an average salary of $69,707, which is higher than the $49,450 average annual salary of a graphic designer.
The top three skills for a production graphic artist include graphic design, adobe illustrator and adobe photoshop. The most important skills for a graphic designer are adobe creative suite, adobe photoshop, and adobe illustrator.
| Production Graphic Artist | Graphic Designer | |
| Yearly salary | $69,707 | $49,450 |
| Hourly rate | $33.51 | $23.77 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 58,934 | 45,625 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
A production graphic artist specializes in developing commercial art for production and marketing operations. They typically work together with a company's creative team to conceptualize plans and execute designs according to project requirements and client preferences. Although the extent of their duties depends on their place or industry of employment, it typically includes developing drafts and layouts, utilizing special software and tools, presenting samples to managers or clients, preparing files according to format, and maintaining an active communication line with the team members for an efficient workflow.
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 graphic artists and graphic designers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Production Graphic Artist | Graphic Designer | |
| Average salary | $69,707 | $49,450 |
| Salary range | Between $42,000 And $114,000 | Between $34,000 And $69,000 |
| Highest paying City | Cupertino, CA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | Virginia | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | CoStar Group | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Construction | Technology |
There are a few differences between a production graphic artist and a graphic designer in terms of educational background:
| Production Graphic Artist | Graphic Designer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | 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 graphic artists' and graphic designers' demographics:
| Production Graphic Artist | Graphic Designer | |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 52.7% Female, 47.3% | 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% |