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The differences between user experience designers and lead graphic 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 user experience designer and a lead graphic designer. Additionally, a user experience designer has an average salary of $91,159, which is higher than the $76,009 average annual salary of a lead graphic designer.
The top three skills for a user experience designer include sketch, UI and user research. The most important skills for a lead graphic designer are adobe photoshop, graphic design, and design concepts.
| User Experience Designer | Lead Graphic Designer | |
| Yearly salary | $91,159 | $76,009 |
| Hourly rate | $43.83 | $36.54 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 52,582 | 46,260 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
A User Experience (UX) designer is an individual who measures and optimizes applications to improve the experience of end-users. His/Her or her duties and responsibilities include considering a design's human-computer interaction element, defining interaction models, and working with creative directors and designers. The key skills for UX designers include strong mathematical and problem-solving skills and excellent information technology and programming skills. Having a bachelor's degree in a design or computing-related subject is an advantage to qualify for the UX designer position.
A lead graphic designer is responsible for creating, designing, and updating the company's visual aspects. The lead graphic designer works closely with the branding department alongside the advertising and marketing team. It is essential for the lead graphic designer must be creative, willing to think outside the box, and brave to dare novel ideas. The lead graphic designer is also responsible for leading the creative department in accomplishing assigned tasks from management.
User experience designers and lead graphic designers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| User Experience Designer | Lead Graphic Designer | |
| Average salary | $91,159 | $76,009 |
| Salary range | Between $65,000 And $127,000 | Between $44,000 And $131,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Bruno, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | California |
| Best paying company | BitGo | Netflix |
| Best paying industry | Start-up | Technology |
There are a few differences between a user experience designer and a lead graphic designer in terms of educational background:
| User Experience Designer | Lead Graphic Designer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Most common major | Graphic Design | Graphic Design |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between user experience designers' and lead graphic designers' demographics:
| User Experience Designer | Lead Graphic Designer | |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 59.6% Female, 40.4% | Male, 61.8% Female, 38.2% |
| 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% |