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Publications designer vs visual designer

The differences between publications designers and visual 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 publications designer and a visual designer. Additionally, a visual designer has an average salary of $86,495, which is higher than the $56,121 average annual salary of a publications designer.

The top three skills for a publications designer include graphic design, adobe indesign and adobe creative suite. The most important skills for a visual designer are sketch, visual design, and graphic design.

Publications designer vs visual designer overview

Publications DesignerVisual Designer
Yearly salary$56,121$86,495
Hourly rate$26.98$41.58
Growth rate3%3%
Number of jobs46,01046,815
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 70%Bachelor's Degree, 75%
Average age3838
Years of experience1212

Publications designer vs visual designer salary

Publications designers and visual designers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Publications DesignerVisual Designer
Average salary$56,121$86,495
Salary rangeBetween $38,000 And $82,000Between $51,000 And $143,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CASan Bruno, CA
Highest paying stateVirginiaCalifornia
Best paying companyRowland PublishingByteDance
Best paying industryRetailStart-up

Differences between publications designer and visual designer education

There are a few differences between a publications designer and a visual designer in terms of educational background:

Publications DesignerVisual Designer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 70%Bachelor's Degree, 75%
Most common majorGraphic DesignGraphic Design
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Pennsylvania

Publications designer vs visual designer demographics

Here are the differences between publications designers' and visual designers' demographics:

Publications DesignerVisual Designer
Average age3838
Gender ratioMale, 39.8% Female, 60.2%Male, 53.1% Female, 46.9%
Race ratioBlack 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 Percentage13%13%

Differences between publications designer and visual designer duties and responsibilities

Publications designer example responsibilities.

  • Manage website redesign including copywriting and updating all website content.
  • Assist with all in-house product photography, setting up and styling shots for catalog and advertising use.
  • Design the inner spreads of both books, and complete the typesetting.
  • Revamp the photo studio for better lighting and overall quality of the photography.
  • Provide extensive digital photography for various projects.
  • Maintain and update current manuals for all equipment produce in-house and identify areas for improvement in existing literature.
  • Show more

Visual designer example responsibilities.

  • Design, project manage, and build retail stores from sketch to completion.
  • Manage website redesign including copywriting and updating all website content.
  • Produce and deliver HTML5, CSS3 and graphical items.
  • Design team brand and logo for organization.
  • Provide approved design in HTML5 to web developer for publishing.
  • Utilize expertise in Photoshop CS6, HTML5/CSS, Squarespace, and JavaScript.
  • Show more

Publications designer vs visual designer skills

Common publications designer skills
  • Graphic Design, 20%
  • Adobe Indesign, 14%
  • Adobe Creative Suite, 13%
  • Publication Design, 9%
  • Art Direction, 9%
  • Adobe Photoshop, 8%
Common visual designer skills
  • Sketch, 19%
  • Visual Design, 8%
  • Graphic Design, 5%
  • UI, 5%
  • User Experience, 4%
  • Visualization, 4%

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