Graphic Designer Salary: Your 2024 Guide

As a graphic designer, you play a vital role in marketing, public relations, and advertising. The visual concepts you design can communicate a message to your customers and reflect the values and brand message of the organization using your content. 

So, how much can you expect to make with a graphic designer salary? Below, you can find an overview of salary averages and job outlook data from various job sites. You can also explore the factors affecting your expected salary as you begin this exciting career path as a graphic designer. 

What is a graphic designer?

Graphic designers are artists who work with digital or physical media to conceptualize and design creative content for various clients. As a graphic designer, you bring a creative element to advertising and marketing materials that is crucial for promoting the client or organization you are working with.

Graphic designers are often responsible for developing images—typically to accompany text—for various media. You may collaborate with other team members to create a recognizable brand for your customers. Graphic designers often use digital illustration software to create content, so an aptitude for technology is crucial in this career.

In multiple industries, graphic designers work with marketing and public relations professionals who use the designed graphic art to promote a client’s brand.

How much does a graphic designer make?

According to various salary and job outlook sources, the average pay range for graphic designers is $49,450 to $65,256. Here are salary figures for graphic designers from five sources [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]:

Factors that affect graphic designer salary

The exact salary you can expect to earn depends on your education, experience in the graphic design industry, and geographical location. 

Education

As a graphic designer, you typically need a bachelor’s degree in graphic design or another fine arts field, such as design or visual communication. A bachelor’s degree is the most common degree graphic designers hold, with 68 percent of professionals having one, according to Zippia [7]. 

Master Certified Web Professional Designer (CWP) or Certified Digital Designer (CDD) certifications can set you apart from other applicants and raise your potential salary. The following salaries provided by Zippia can increase with your level of degree [1]:

• Some college/associate degree: $48,143

• Bachelor’s degree: $53,661

• Master’s degree: $58,581

Experience

As is the case in most industries, your salary can generally go up depending on your experience level and how long you have worked within the graphic design industry. A good way for a potential graphic designer to gain experience before working professionally is to complete an internship. Internships allow you to improve your skills in graphic design while working alongside professionals in the industry. The following reported average salaries from Zippia increase with higher levels of experience [1]:

• Entry level: $30,897

• Mid-level: $43,312

• Senior level: $67,530

Industry

Graphic designers have access to many industries—including but not limited to—advertising, printing, management services, specialized design services, and streaming services. Many graphic designers are self-employed, which allows them to work at their own pace and choose specific projects to focus on. As a potential graphic designer, you have the choice to pursue a variety of different careers in varied industries. You may want to evaluate whether your skill set and interests lie more in communication, creativity, marketing, or technology and choose to enter the industry that best fits your niche abilities. 

Location

Location is another factor impacting your potential earnings as a graphic designer. The cost of living and taxes on your salary can impact your overall income. Whether you live in a metropolitan or nonmetropolitan area, the population size of your location can also impact your potential salary. 

The following list illustrates the range of salaries you may have depending on your location. These are the top 10 highest-paying cities in the US for graphic designers, according to Zippia [1]:

1. Washington, DC: $63,052

2. Boston, MA: $58,402

3. Seattle, WA: $57,758

4. New York, NY: $57,449

5. San Francisco, CA: $55,717

6. Fort Lee, NJ: $54,141

7. Philadelphia, PA: $51,554

8. Chicago, IL: $48,012

9. Denver, CO: $47,544

10. Urban Honolulu, HI: $47,530

Where do graphic designers work?

Graphic designers can choose to work in different settings. For example, you could work as a graphic designer directly for a company, creating their branding and marketing materials. Or, you could work for a graphic design firm or company providing work to multiple clients. In some cases, graphic designers prefer to work independently. As a graphic designer, you might be working in a studio where you have access to art supplies, digital software, and illustration tools. 

If you pursue a freelance route, you may have a wider range of clients to work with and more creative control over the work you create. If you choose to pursue graphic designer jobs within design or advertising firms or directly for a brand, you may be a part of a graphic design team and work more collaboratively. 

Job outlook

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports the job outlook for graphic designers will grow by 3 percent between 2022 and 2032, which is as fast as the average for all occupations. It also projects about 22,800 job openings, on average, annually for graphic designers [5]. The increase in digital media has resulted in a demand for graphic designers, as many companies want to create websites and online resources for their clients. 

Getting started with Coursera

To begin your graphic design career, it's a good idea to understand the skills, experience, and education required of graphic designers. Many graphic designers excel in digital, design, and fine art skills. They can effectively communicate, create, and maintain relationships with brands and companies and collaborate with members of their design teams. 

On Coursera, you can find several courses to help you improve your skills as a graphic designer. Courses like Effective Communication: Writing, Design, and Presentation Specialization, Graphic Design, and Design and Make Infographics (Project-Centered Course) can provide you with opportunities to work on technical and interpersonal skills to help you succeed as a graphic designer.