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The differences between senior web designers and lead designers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a senior web designer, becoming a lead designer takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a lead designer has an average salary of $110,001, which is higher than the $80,678 average annual salary of a senior web designer.
The top three skills for a senior web designer include html css, sketch and UI. The most important skills for a lead designer are sketch, user experience, and architecture.
| Senior Web Designer | Lead Designer | |
| Yearly salary | $80,678 | $110,001 |
| Hourly rate | $38.79 | $52.89 |
| Growth rate | 13% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 52,749 | 45,423 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Average age | 37 | 38 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 12 |
A senior web designer leads a team of website designers to create, enhance, and optimize company websites. The senior web designer's goal is to meet the clients' expectations and build a website that embodies the company's characteristics, voice, style, and vision. The web designer also ensures that customers accessing the website experiences a smooth, functional, and fast website, free from bugs and other problems that may affect user experience and satisfaction. A senior web designer's responsibilities are to efficiently delegate tasks to other team members to meet client expectations.
A lead designer is responsible for addressing the clients' needs of digital content and coordinating with the design team for the planning and innovation of the visual design and concept. Lead designers conduct the initial layout of frameworks and collaborate with the art staff for the specifications and outputs using various software applications and digital boards. They regularly update the client of the project's status, including adjustment and design recommendations, ensuring that the plan meets the client's budget goals. A lead designer must have excellent communication and organizational skills, especially on running diagnostic tests to improve optimal performance.
Senior web designers and lead designers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Web Designer | Lead Designer | |
| Average salary | $80,678 | $110,001 |
| Salary range | Between $55,000 And $116,000 | Between $78,000 And $154,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Roku | Airbnb |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Start-up |
There are a few differences between a senior web designer and a lead designer in terms of educational background:
| Senior Web Designer | Lead Designer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Most common major | Graphic Design | Graphic Design |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between senior web designers' and lead designers' demographics:
| Senior Web Designer | Lead Designer | |
| Average age | 37 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 66.7% Female, 33.3% | Male, 73.2% Female, 26.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.7% Unknown, 6.6% Hispanic or Latino, 12.5% Asian, 15.1% White, 58.6% 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 | 9% | 13% |