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The differences between senior graphic designers and production 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 senior graphic designer and a production designer. Additionally, a senior graphic designer has an average salary of $73,921, which is higher than the $54,760 average annual salary of a production designer.
The top three skills for a senior graphic designer include sketch, adobe creative suite and creative concepts. The most important skills for a production designer are sketch, graphic design, and adobe creative suite.
| Senior Graphic Designer | Production Designer | |
| Yearly salary | $73,921 | $54,760 |
| Hourly rate | $35.54 | $26.33 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 46,310 | 96,682 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
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.
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.
Senior graphic designers and production designers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Graphic Designer | Production Designer | |
| Average salary | $73,921 | $54,760 |
| Salary range | Between $51,000 And $105,000 | Between $36,000 And $82,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | California |
| Best paying company | Practice Fusion | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Internet |
There are a few differences between a senior graphic designer and a production designer in terms of educational background:
| Senior Graphic Designer | Production Designer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | 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 senior graphic designers' and production designers' demographics:
| Senior Graphic Designer | Production Designer | |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 53.2% Female, 46.8% | Male, 55.4% Female, 44.6% |
| 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% |