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The differences between visual information specialists and 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 information specialist and a designer. Additionally, a designer has an average salary of $66,347, which is higher than the $65,085 average annual salary of a visual information specialist.
The top three skills for a visual information specialist include photography, video production and adobe creative suite. The most important skills for a designer are sketch, customer service, and graphic design.
| Visual Information Specialist | Designer | |
| Yearly salary | $65,085 | $66,347 |
| Hourly rate | $31.29 | $31.90 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 66,802 | 52,433 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
A visual information specialist is in charge of developing visual materials in adherence to the needs of a company or business. In a company setting, their responsibilities include coordinating with different departments to gather and analyze data, come up with designs and layouts, plan materials based on the purpose and availability of resources, and work together with the creative team. Furthermore, as a visual information specialist, it is essential to maintain active communication with teammates for a smooth and efficient workflow.
A designer is someone who creates a master plan of the look or workings of something before it will be made. It could be tangible or intangible objects, products, procedures, laws, events, games, graphics, services, and even experiences. Designers are creative thinkers with a great eye to configure the skeletal and structural properties of the targeted output. They work in several fields, such as fashion, architecture, web graphics, and user experience. In spite of the variety of professionals in the design industry, all of them are artistic, passionate, inspiring, and emotionally connected to their projects and brands.
Visual information specialists and designers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Visual Information Specialist | Designer | |
| Average salary | $65,085 | $66,347 |
| Salary range | Between $41,000 And $102,000 | Between $45,000 And $97,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Washington |
| Best paying company | Food and Drug Law Institute | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Government | Technology |
There are a few differences between a visual information specialist and a designer in terms of educational background:
| Visual Information Specialist | Designer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Most common major | Graphic Design | Graphic Design |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between visual information specialists' and designers' demographics:
| Visual Information Specialist | Designer | |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 56.0% Female, 44.0% | Male, 56.9% Female, 43.1% |
| 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% |