When it comes to design, one can hold many different titles and positions. However, two of the most common positions are Lead graphic designer and Senior graphic designer.
So, what are these two all about? Let’s take a closer look. Lead Graphic Designer Vs., Senior Graphic Designer.
Lead Graphic Designer Vs. Senior Graphic Designer
So, if you want to start your career in graphic design and want to know where to begin, you must understand what kind of job you want.
The Lead Graphic Designer or Senior Graphic Designer may not be right for every project, but if you decide to pursue one or both of these roles, you should know a lot about the different careers.
When it comes to the difference between a lead graphic designer and a senior graphic designer, there are vital things to keep in mind:
1. A Lead Graphic Designer Creates Something From Scratch.
A Lead Graphic Designer creates something from scratch and is responsible for creating a new brand identity and visual standards and designing an entire portfolio of work. A lead graphic designer is also expected to develop their own style while maintaining consistency within the company’s identity system.
A senior graphic designer creates something that has already been created before but in a way that makes it better or more appealing than what was previously done (for example: redesigning an existing logo).
Senior designers often work under their lead designers who have designed the original design, so they have access to all previous versions of said designs before starting on any new ones themselves.
2. A Senior Graphic Designer Maintains And Modifies The Design.
As a Senior Graphic Designer, you are more of a manager than an individual. Your job is to maintain and modify the design. You will create new designs for clients or modify existing ones based on their feedback.
The work of a senior graphic designer is more like that of a freelancer designing something from scratch because he/she doesn’t have any idea about what kind of design the client wants before starting with it.
3. A Lead Graphic Designer Has The Freedom To Choose His Tool.
Senior Graphic Designers have to use the tools that are available in the company, and they cannot change them. The reason being is that they don’t have enough experience with other tools, so they might not be able to use them effectively or efficiently.
However, suppose you’re a Senior Graphic Designer and want to be promoted a Lead Graphic Designer. In that case, you will need more time than usual because there’s no point in learning new software when there aren’t any projects coming up for you at all.
4. A Senior Graphic Designer Works During Office Hours.
Office hours are the time period between 9 am and 5 pm, Monday-Friday.
As a Senior Graphic Designer, you can structure your workday around your personal life by choosing how much you want to be involved with your family or friends at certain times during the day (e.g., after school). This makes it easier for you to find the balance between work and relaxation during these limited hours of availability.
Your clients will often be available at this time if they need something from you right away or if they have questions about their projects or design needs overall. You can also offer advice when necessary.
5. A Lead Graphic Designer Doesn’t Report To Anyone And Rather Reports To The Company.
A Senior Graphic Designer reports to a manager that owns the project. The manager has the authority to make a decision on what has to be done, knows what is expected from the project and who will do what
A Lead Graphic Designer does not report to anyone and rather reports to the company. They are in charge of their team and make all decisions, including what tools they will use, how much time it will require to finish a project and if they need help from other people.
A Senior Graphic Designer is more like an assistant than a boss because they don’t get paid as much or have as many responsibilities as a Lead Graphic Designer (LGD). Instead, they focus on supporting their colleagues with tasks such as:
- Getting all necessary materials together for each job;
- Sending out emails about deadlines;
- Organize workspaces so that everyone can work efficiently without too much clutter.
6. A Lead Graphic Designer Decides How Much Time It Will Take To Complete A Project.
A Lead Graphic Designer decides how much time it will take to complete a project. This is because they take responsibility for their work’s quality, which means they must set deadlines for themselves and work towards them. Senior Graphic Designers do not have this control over their own time, as someone else sets deadlines for them.
7. A Senior Graphic Designer Gets Deadlines For Projects That Are Already Planned By Someone Else Or The Department Head.
A Senior Graphic Designer gets deadlines for projects that are already planned by someone else or the department head.
A senior graphic designer will work with your company’s project manager to set your project deadlines. The project manager may be a person within your organization who is involved in all aspects of managing and scheduling tasks, from writing specifications to managing suppliers and contractors, working closely with clients to ensure they understand what you need from them, etc.
Their job is not just about making sure deadlines are met but also ensuring that everything goes smoothly during production, so there are no issues when it comes time to print the final product or digital version.
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8. The Result Of The Work
The result of the work of a lead graphic designer is original and new, while a senior graphic designer usually works on what is already there.
A lead graphic designer is responsible for creating something new and original, while a senior graphic designer works on existing designs and modifies them.
The difference between the two is in their approach to creative work. Lead designers are more hands-on and less dependent on their team members’ input, whereas senior designers need collaboration with other departments (such as production or design) so that they can make sure that everything aligns well together before moving forward with the project.
9. Lead Graphic Designer VS Senior Graphic Designer Resume
A lead graphic designer’s resume should have skills, experience, and achievements. You will want to highlight your skills in areas like design, illustration, and photography. You should also include any awards you’ve received for your work.
Suppose you are a senior graphic designer. Then you must show off your experience as well as any awards or recognition that goes along with it.
10. Lead Graphic Designer VS Senior Graphic Designer Skills
A Lead Graphic Designer has more skills than a Senior Graphic Designer. They have to know how to design for the web, print, and other mediums. They need to be good at Photoshop and Illustrator. They also need to know how to code if they want their designs to look great on mobile devices or tablets as well as desktop computers.
11. Senior Graphic Designers Are More Practical.
Senior graphic designers have the experience, knowledge, and skills to produce top-quality work for clients in a variety of industries and disciplines, including architecture, engineering, construction (AEC), health care, government agencies, and education.
12. Lead Graphic Designers Are More Creative.
Lead graphic designers have more freedom to create something from scratch. They can also be more creative, innovative, and independent because they are not restricted by the restrictions of a senior designer’s workflow.
13. Lead Graphic Designers Have More Freedom.
As a lead graphic designer, you have more freedom than your senior counterpart, and you’re not restricted to working on existing designs and can instead work from scratch on whatever new ideas come to mind. Additionally, since you’re the creative force behind any project, it’s up to you whether or not the final product meets with client approval.
As such, lead designers often have less experience than those who other companies hire as senior graphic designers.
However, this doesn’t mean that they aren’t capable of executing projects at higher levels of quality and value than their subordinates would be able to manage without supervision or if there were no supervision at all.
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14. Lead Graphic Designers To Work With More Content.
Lead graphic designers to work with more content. A lead graphic designer is the first person in a company to get an idea, or a client’s idea, and modify it into something that can be used for their brand. This means they have to do research on what will work best for the project, then create graphics from those ideas.
They need to know how much information you want on your website so they can figure out the number of pages you need, how many photos are needed, and when they should be uploaded onto your site, along with any other relevant data.
Additionally, being able to make decisions based on what works best for your business goals and objectives and also knowing how much time each step takes. A good lead graphic designer also has experience working within different industries, so they can advise clients accordingly when designing websites aimed at specific audiences or subject matter areas such as fashion photography or wedding photography.
15. Senior Graphic Designers Work On Existing Designs.
A senior graphic designer is a person who works on existing designs, and they maintain and modify the design but are not as creative as a lead graphic designer.
They work on what is already there and help to make it look better, more professional, and more appealing. Senior graphic designers are practical people who know how to get things done, so they don’t have time for creative thinking or coming up with new ideas.
16. The Pay For A Lead Graphic Designer Will Be Higher Than That Of A Senior Graphic Designer.
A Lead Graphic Designer is paid more than a Senior Graphic Designer.
Lead graphic designers have higher responsibilities and work harder than their seniors. They also work on high-profile projects that can make them more money than seniors in the same position.
A Lead Graphic designer will usually be responsible for all aspects of a project, including design, content creation, and production. The senior designer works with the lead designer to create the final product while they oversee its progress until completion.
FAQs
1. Is A Lead Designer Higher Than A Senior Designer?
Generally, in the United States, it goes like this: after two years, Associate Designers become Mid-level Designers; after four years, they become Senior Designers; after six, they become Lead Designers.
2. What Is Higher Than A Senior Graphic Designer?
The career path for graphic design starts with a junior or associate position, followed by a graphic designer, then a senior, and director.
3. What Is A Lead Graphic Designer?
Graphic designers have the responsibility of creating the visual identity of a brand, product, or company.
4. What Is The Highest Position In Graphic Design?
Creative Director is a senior executive position who will gain more than ten years of experience by the end of their career.
5. What Comes After SR Graphic Designer?
Creative Director. A graphic design career path starts as a junior graphic designer at an in-house design team at a large company.
6. What Age Is A Senior Designer?
The average age of an employed senior designer is 37 years old. The most common ethnicity of senior designers is White (76.1%), followed by Hispanic or Latino (10.2%), Asian (7.6%), and Black or African American (3.5%). Senior designers are most in-demand in New York, NY.
7. What Is A Lead Designer Called?
The lead designer (sometimes referred to as the design coordinator) directs and coordinates other designers in the consultant team, and any specialist designers appointed.
8. What’s A Lead Designer?
The lead designer manages everything about the design process, from ideation to creative conceptualization and design.
9. What Is The Responsibility Of A Lead Graphic Designer?
The Lead Graphic Designer has the responsibility for creating, designing, and updating the visual aspects of the company.
10. Which Designer Has The Highest Salary?
UI Designer is also one of the highest-paying design professions in India. They are also required to focus on style and looks and build a user-friendly and easy-to-use interface in computerized devices or software. The average annual salary earned by a UI Designer is around INR 4,93,180.
Conclusion
Becoming a Lead Graphic Designer or a Senior Graphic Designer is more than being good at your job; it’s also about getting there. It takes time to learn all the skills that go into being a Lead Graphic Designer or a Senior Graphic Designer, so choose carefully.