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The differences between visual merchandisers and designers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a designer has an average salary of $66,347, which is higher than the $38,037 average annual salary of a visual merchandiser.
The top three skills for a visual merchandiser include customer service, ladders and sales floor. The most important skills for a designer are sketch, customer service, and graphic design.
| Visual Merchandiser | Designer | |
| Yearly salary | $38,037 | $66,347 |
| Hourly rate | $18.29 | $31.90 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 74,351 | 52,433 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 57% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Average age | 40 | 38 |
| Years of experience | - | 12 |
A visual merchandiser is responsible for arranging product displays at retail outlets, attracting customers to purchase the items. Visual merchandisers should be updated with the latest trends in the market to prioritize retail displays and floor plans. They must also be knowledgeable on product information to assist customers with their inquiries and concerns. Visual merchandisers should be creative in setting up the uniformity of the store's visuals within the budget goals. The designs must be appealing enough to drive the customers around the premises, potentially generating revenues and increasing profitability.
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 merchandisers and designers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Visual Merchandiser | Designer | |
| Average salary | $38,037 | $66,347 |
| Salary range | Between $27,000 And $53,000 | Between $45,000 And $97,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | New York | Washington |
| Best paying company | RH | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Retail | Technology |
There are a few differences between a visual merchandiser and a designer in terms of educational background:
| Visual Merchandiser | Designer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 57% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Most common major | Specialized Sales And Merchandising | Graphic Design |
| Most common college | - | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between visual merchandisers' and designers' demographics:
| Visual Merchandiser | Designer | |
| Average age | 40 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 27.3% Female, 72.7% | Male, 56.9% Female, 43.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.5% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 13.8% Asian, 5.3% White, 66.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | 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 | 17% | 13% |