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The differences between visual designers and digital 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 visual designer and a digital designer. Additionally, a visual designer has an average salary of $86,495, which is higher than the $72,987 average annual salary of a digital designer.
The top three skills for a visual designer include sketch, visual design and graphic design. The most important skills for a digital designer are sketch, digital marketing, and graphic design.
| Visual Designer | Digital Designer | |
| Yearly salary | $86,495 | $72,987 |
| Hourly rate | $41.58 | $35.09 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 46,815 | 61,109 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
A visual designer is someone who creates designs for a variety of platforms such as Internet and intranet sites, games, and wearables. The duties of visual designers depend on the specific project or industry in which they are working. Duties include creating user-centered interaction models, working with information technology and business teams to resolve complex issues, and designing logos, icons, and infographics. The qualifications to become a visual designer include possessing strong problem-solving, communication, and negotiation skills and obtaining a bachelor's degree in design.
A digital designer is an individual who is responsible for creating digital assets for multimedia and graphic projects that can include mobile applications, video games, and interactive displays. Digital designers must collaborate with project managers, design teams, and content experts to interpret the team's concepts into a design that will deliver an effective user experience. They must be experts in using computer software and applications to create digital designs and convert data to a graphical interface such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Digital designers must also have a bachelor's degree in graphic design or fine arts.
Visual designers and digital designers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Visual Designer | Digital Designer | |
| Average salary | $86,495 | $72,987 |
| Salary range | Between $51,000 And $143,000 | Between $46,000 And $114,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Bruno, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | ByteDance | Lyft |
| Best paying industry | Start-up | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a visual designer and a digital designer in terms of educational background:
| Visual Designer | Digital Designer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Most common major | Graphic Design | Graphic Design |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between visual designers' and digital designers' demographics:
| Visual Designer | Digital Designer | |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 53.1% Female, 46.9% | Male, 60.0% Female, 40.0% |
| 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% |