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Set designer vs graphic designer

The differences between set designers and graphic 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 set designer, becoming a graphic designer takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a set designer has an average salary of $57,970, which is higher than the $49,450 average annual salary of a graphic designer.

The top three skills for a set designer include set design, art direction and photography. The most important skills for a graphic designer are adobe creative suite, adobe photoshop, and adobe illustrator.

Set designer vs graphic designer overview

Set DesignerGraphic Designer
Yearly salary$57,970$49,450
Hourly rate$27.87$23.77
Growth rate3%3%
Number of jobs49,10245,625
Job satisfaction-5
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 68%Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Average age4238
Years of experience412

Set designer vs graphic designer salary

Set designers and graphic designers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Set DesignerGraphic Designer
Average salary$57,970$49,450
Salary rangeBetween $35,000 And $94,000Between $34,000 And $69,000
Highest paying CityNew Windsor, NYWashington, DC
Highest paying stateNew JerseyMassachusetts
Best paying companyStanley Black & DeckerMeta
Best paying industryEducationTechnology

Differences between set designer and graphic designer education

There are a few differences between a set designer and a graphic designer in terms of educational background:

Set DesignerGraphic Designer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 68%Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Most common majorFine ArtsGraphic Design
Most common collegeStanford UniversityUniversity of Pennsylvania

Set designer vs graphic designer demographics

Here are the differences between set designers' and graphic designers' demographics:

Set DesignerGraphic Designer
Average age4238
Gender ratioMale, 49.5% Female, 50.5%Male, 49.8% Female, 50.2%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 2.8% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 10.0% Asian, 11.4% White, 70.6% 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 Percentage12%13%

Differences between set designer and graphic designer duties and responsibilities

Set designer example responsibilities.

  • Develop UNIX shell scripts to automate file manipulation and data loading process.
  • Develop marketing and brand awareness initiatives through social media outlets; create and manage company Facebook and Houzz profiles.
  • Used PL/SQL for writing procedures and triggers.
  • Trouble-Shout, reload and reject records using DTS, SQL scripts.
  • Create stored procedures, functions, packages, views and triggers using PL/SQL.
  • Project entail building a Halloween store set for the movie team in Cleveland area.
  • Show more

Graphic designer example responsibilities.

  • Lead the transition from paste-up, typesetting, pasting up page layout to digital ad/page building and web printing.
  • Design new template for magazine as well as ads, flyers, brochures, and cards for a variety of events.
  • Plan the development of a social networking site website using HTML, CSS, PHP, and a WordPress management system.
  • Compose and create daily advertisements for national automotive dealerships utilizing typography and design concepts while adhering to corporate brand standards.
  • Follow style guide requirements to maintain brand integrity with specific treatments of photography, typography, graphic elements and team/sponsor/arena logos.
  • Create UI kit for the website.
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Set designer vs graphic designer skills

Common set designer skills
  • Set Design, 36%
  • Art Direction, 17%
  • Photography, 9%
  • CAD, 6%
  • Graphic Design, 6%
  • Concept Development, 5%
Common graphic designer skills
  • Adobe Creative Suite, 6%
  • Adobe Photoshop, 6%
  • Adobe Illustrator, 6%
  • Typography, 5%
  • Brochures, 5%
  • Design Concepts, 5%

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