Career comparison
Marketing specialist vs. Graphic designer
Marketing specialists earn more: a median of $78,760, $15,800 (25%) above graphic designers at $62,960.
Marketing specialists have the stronger outlook: +7% projected growth through 2035, vs. −2%.
Getting in is faster for marketing specialists: about 9 months vs. 16 months for someone with a bachelor's in another field.
At a glance
| Marketing specialist | Graphic designer | |
|---|---|---|
| Median pay | $78,760 | $62,960 |
| Top 10% earn over | $155,480 | $104,910 |
| Growth to 2035 | +7% | −2% |
| Openings per year | 82,000 | 16,000 |
| Jobs today | 952,700 | 253,100 |
| Typical entry education | Bachelor's degree | Bachelor's degree |
| Time to qualify* | 9 months | 16 months |
| Training cost* | $0–$5.3K | $0–$15K |
* Starting from a bachelor's degree in an unrelated field. Pay: BLS OEWS May 2025. Outlook: BLS Employment Projections 2025–35.
Pay
Marketing specialist
Graphic designer
Switching from one to the other
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Marketing specialistGraphic designer
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Getting in
Marketing specialist
- Entry education
- Bachelor's degree
- On-the-job training
- None
- Prior experience
- None
Required: No license; portfolio and analytics skills matter
Graphic designer
- Entry education
- Bachelor's degree
- On-the-job training
- None
- Prior experience
- None
Required: No license; portfolio is the gate
What the work is like
Dealing with the public
Unpleasant or angry people
Time pressure
Cost of a mistake
Freedom to make decisions
Repeating the same tasks
Time sitting
Time standing
Marketing specialist: 32% usually work over 40 hours a weekGraphic designer: 55% usually work over 40 hours a week
Marketing specialist: core tasks
- Prepare reports of findings, illustrating data graphically and translating complex findings into written text.
- Seek and provide information to help companies determine their position in the marketplace.
- Conduct research on consumer opinions and marketing strategies, collaborating with marketing professionals, statisticians, pollsters, and other professionals.
- Collect and analyze data on customer demographics, preferences, needs, and buying habits to identify potential markets and factors affecting product demand.
- Devise and evaluate methods and procedures for collecting data, such as surveys, opinion polls, or questionnaires, or arrange to obtain existing data.
Graphic designer: core tasks
- Key information into computer equipment to create layouts for client or supervisor.
- Review final layouts and suggest improvements, as needed.
- Determine size and arrangement of illustrative material and copy, and select style and size of type.
- Develop graphics and layouts for product illustrations, company logos, and Web sites.
- Create designs, concepts, and sample layouts, based on knowledge of layout principles and esthetic design concepts.
Skills: what carries over
Both rely on: Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Writing, Critical Thinking, Speaking, Active Learning.
New for a marketing specialist moving to graphic designer: Social Perceptiveness, Coordination.
New for a graphic designer moving to marketing specialist: Mathematics, Monitoring.
Interests (Holland codes): Marketing specialist: Enterprising, Conventional, Investigative. Graphic designer: Artistic, Conventional, Enterprising.
Outlook to 2035, and AI
Marketing specialist
+7%
faster than average · 82,000 openings a year
BLS lists no specific factors, including AI, changing demand for this job.
Graphic designer
−2%
little or no change · 16,000 openings a year
Productivity change, capital/labor substitution - share decreases as new technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI), replace some workers and make other workers more efficient.
Quoted notes: BLS Employment Projections, factors affecting occupational utilization (Table 1.12). Average growth across all jobs: +3.5%.
Questions people ask
Who makes more, a marketing specialist or a graphic designer?
Marketing specialists earn more: a median of $78,760, $15,800 (25%) above graphic designers at $62,960.
Which has the better job outlook?
Marketing specialists have the stronger outlook: +7% projected growth through 2035, vs. −2%.
How long does it take to become a graphic designer?
For someone with a bachelor's degree in another field, about 16 months, with tuition of roughly $0 to $15,300. Required: No license; portfolio is the gate.
How long does it take to become a marketing specialist?
For someone with a bachelor's degree in another field, about 9 months, with tuition of roughly $0 to $5,300. Required: No license; portfolio and analytics skills matter.