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The differences between senior design specialists and design managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a senior design specialist, becoming a design manager takes usually requires More than 10 years. Additionally, a design manager has an average salary of $102,637, which is higher than the $96,923 average annual salary of a senior design specialist.
The top three skills for a senior design specialist include sketch, SR and design solutions. The most important skills for a design manager are sketch, project management, and visualization.
| Senior Design Specialist | Design Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $96,923 | $102,637 |
| Hourly rate | $46.60 | $49.34 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 45,603 | 61,273 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 53% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Average age | 41 | 48 |
| Years of experience | 6 | - |
A senior design specialist's main responsibility is managing design projects and delivering them within the deadlines. They have to also look after the junior designers and ensure that the quality of designs meets company standards.
A design manager is responsible for creating graphic and digital designs, following clients' specifications, and managing project deliverables efficiently. Design managers work closely with the marketing and public relations department, developing strategies to promote the brand to the target audience. They coordinate with the creative team and present the design ideas to the management, ask for final approval, perform revisions as needed, and follow the budget goals. A design manager must have excellent communication and leadership skills to handle the design team's concerns and needs.
Senior design specialists and design managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Design Specialist | Design Manager | |
| Average salary | $96,923 | $102,637 |
| Salary range | Between $71,000 And $131,000 | Between $69,000 And $150,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | McKinsey & Company Inc | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Automotive | Technology |
There are a few differences between a senior design specialist and a design manager in terms of educational background:
| Senior Design Specialist | Design Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 53% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Most common major | Drafting And Design | Graphic Design |
| Most common college | Carnegie Mellon University | University of Michigan - Ann Arbor |
Here are the differences between senior design specialists' and design managers' demographics:
| Senior Design Specialist | Design Manager | |
| Average age | 41 | 48 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 74.9% Female, 25.1% | Male, 63.8% Female, 36.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.1% Asian, 10.4% White, 72.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 11.8% White, 71.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 9% |