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The differences between production graphic artists and senior 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 senior graphic designer. Additionally, a senior graphic designer has an average salary of $73,921, which is higher than the $69,707 average annual salary of a production graphic artist.
The top three skills for a production graphic artist include graphic design, adobe illustrator and adobe photoshop. The most important skills for a senior graphic designer are sketch, adobe creative suite, and creative concepts.
| Production Graphic Artist | Senior Graphic Designer | |
| Yearly salary | $69,707 | $73,921 |
| Hourly rate | $33.51 | $35.54 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 58,934 | 46,310 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| 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.
A senior graphic designer oversees all of the designing operations in a company, from conceptualization to production. One of their primary responsibilities is to ensure that all designs produced are according to a client's preference and brand. They also encourage fresh ideas from the team, communicate with clients or representatives, and manage the schedules to meet all deadlines. Furthermore, as a senior graphic designer, they are responsible for leading and mentoring a team of graphic designers, all in the joint effort to reach project goals.
Production graphic artists and senior graphic designers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Production Graphic Artist | Senior Graphic Designer | |
| Average salary | $69,707 | $73,921 |
| Salary range | Between $42,000 And $114,000 | Between $51,000 And $105,000 |
| Highest paying City | Cupertino, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Virginia | Washington |
| Best paying company | CoStar Group | Practice Fusion |
| Best paying industry | Construction | Technology |
There are a few differences between a production graphic artist and a senior graphic designer in terms of educational background:
| Production Graphic Artist | Senior Graphic Designer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| 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 senior graphic designers' demographics:
| Production Graphic Artist | Senior Graphic Designer | |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 52.7% Female, 47.3% | 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, 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% |