What can you do with a Graphic Design degree?
It is common to worry about your career options after graduating while considering studying Graphic Design, especially given how quickly the employment market changes.
When I started in the world of Graphic Design and Advertising I had the same doubts, but I soon realized that skills as a graphic designer open doors to many job opportunities, as long as you work hard and deliver good work to your clients or stakeholders.
There are many companies and products that need to stand out from their rivals and that means a lot of opportunities for a graphic designer. From positions in print design to editorial design, digital design, advertising, branding, illustration, packaging design, film, television, or animation.
I myself have worked in several of these sectors throughout my career, but let’s cut to the chase. Below I’ll outline the most popular career options you should consider for when after you graduate with a degree in graphic design. I’ll also include links and resources so you can learn more about the ones you’re most interested in.
11 Most popular job opportunities for a Graphic Design graduate
You don’t need to know what you want to do from the start, but if you can identify 3 to 5 jobs that interest you, it will be easier to guide your career path in one direction or another.
1. Graphic designer
Your job as a graphic designer will be to capture visual ideas that will inspire, inform, or appeal to a specific audience.
In fact, you can work together on a wide range of projects, whether commercial, artistic, or decorative in nature. Occasionally, you may also take on print or digital production responsibilities.
Lots of great design companies and agencies are looking for professionals and the number of graphic designers is expected to grow by 3% through 2031, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.
The median salary for a graphic designer in the U.S. is $50,710/year, but if you want more details on how much you would make in your early career, check out my article on how much does a graphic designer make in the United States.
If you are interested in this career, I’ve written basic steps on how to become a graphic designer. In it, I detail the essential steps to follow, and include several interesting resources and links that will make your path much easier.
2. Art director
An art director (often abbreviated as AD) is responsible for defining and unifying the visual style with which a message is conveyed to a given audience. To carry out his or her vision, he or she works with and oversees graphic designers, illustrators and other artists who execute these visual concepts.
Art directors can work in a variety of business fields such as advertising, film, television, digital media, video games, fashion and more. In addition, art directors enjoy a good median salary in the United States ($100,890 per year) and the number of art directors is expected to grow by 4% through 2031 (source).
To learn more about how to become an art director, I recommend you my article how to become an art director, where I explain, step by step, the most effective and fastest way to become a good art director. I also give you several tips and resources that have been very useful in my career.
3. Creative director
A creative director oversees a creative team of an advertising agency, design firm or other organization. He or she is responsible for developing the vision and overall direction of projects, as well as managing the day-to-day operations of the team.
It should be noted that one does not become a creative director immediately. Typically, one reaches this position after having gained sufficient experience and demonstrated proficiency in managing small teams or projects.
There is no rule that determines when a person is ready to be a creative director, but in my experience, they are usually professionals with between 7 and 10 years of experience.
A creative director’s salary is usually considerably higher than that of a graphic designer, due to it being a position of greater responsibility, and can currently expect $91,399 per year, on average (source).
Find out more about becoming a creative director in this Skillshare article on what it takes to be a creative director.
4. Motion Graphic Designer
A motion graphics designer creates motion graphic designs, such as title sequences and transitions for movies and TV shows, commercials, websites and video games.
The clients or employers of motion graphics designers are usually production companies, but also television channels or advertising agencies, and their average salary in the U.S. is $62,000 per year (source). Obviously, this income varies greatly depending on the experience and portfolio of each professional.
Nowadays, many motion graphics designers design in 2D and 3D, which opens up even more job opportunities for them, especially now that we live glued to the screen almost all day long. In fact, animation professionals are expected to grow by 5% until 2031 (source).
5. Concept Artist
The role of a concept artist is to help visualize ideas or concepts during pre-production. Through sketches or paintings, they define the look of scenarios, vehicles, costumes and a myriad of elements for video games and movies, mainly, but they can also work in other areas such as fashion or product design.
The average salary of a concept artist in the United States is $74,558 (source), although the most reputable can reach over $350,000 per year.
Find out more about the steps to follow to become a concept artist in my article on how to become a concept artist.
6. Illustrator
An illustrator creates illustrations by hand or with computer software for use in books, magazines, advertisements and other media. They usually specialize in a particular type of illustration, such as children’s book illustration, editorial illustration, technical illustration, fashion illustration, advertising illustration or even creating illustrations for products.
Illustrators are generally freelance and tend to have a highly variable income, although the industry average is about $49,960 per year in the United States (source). However, they can receive royalties for their work for years.
If you want to know more about how to become an illustrator, I recommend on how to become an illustrator, posted on the Vectornator drawing app blog.
7. Web Designer
A web designer creates the overall look and feel of websites or web applications. They work closely with web developers and UI/UX designers to create interfaces that are visually pleasing, understandable and easy to navigate.
Many web designers are freelancers or have their own agency, although more and more designers are on staff at large companies. On average, you can expect about $78,300 per year in the United States (source).
If web design appeals to you, take a look at the steps involved in becoming a professional web designer in my article on how to become a web designer.
8. UI/UX Designer
What is a UI Designer
A user interface designer specializes in creating interfaces for software applications and websites, mainly. They work to make these interfaces functional and maintain a coherent structure and design, easily understood by their users.
The demand for UI designers has grown a lot in recent years due to the rapid growth of the software and application market. This translates into salaries averaging around $82,370 in the U.S. (source).
What is a UX Designer
A UX designer focuses on analyzing, planning and designing user experiences for websites or applications. They usually have previous experience in UI design or web design and work closely with developers, UI designers, web designers and other teams to prototype and test new designs.
A UX designer earns a base salary of between $76,341 and $91,528 in the U.S., depending on the sources consulted, such as Payscale or Builtin). The $90,000 figure makes more sense, as the average UI designer is around $80,000.
Why is it interesting to learn UX/UI?
Discover how to become a UX/UI designer in the fastest and most effective way. Although they are two different positions, more and more employers are demanding professionals who are able to perform both tasks, so you’ll have more opportunities if you master both. Learn how to become a UI/UX designer in 6 steps with our guide on how to become a UI/UX designer.
9. Package Designer
A packaging designer is a graphic designer specialized in design, materials, printing processes and die-cutting for the creation of functional and attractive packaging for all kinds of products, such as video games, beverages, food, cosmetics or electronic devices.
Although in essence, this professional career could be included within that of graphic designer, it is so specialized that I think it deserves its own section. In fact, there are agencies and design studios specialized only in packaging.
In this job, knowledge of materials, printing and die-cutting processes to create packaging that is both functional and visually appealing is highly valued.
The average salary of a graphic designer is 50,710 dollars a year in the United States and you can follow my guide on how to become a graphic designer where I talk about specializing in a particular branch of Graphic Design, such as Packaging Design.
10. Game Art Designer
A game art designer works closely with concept artists and game art directors to create the character designs, environments and other elements that bring a game to life, whether in 2D or 3D.
Today, given the demand and level of quality of some video games, many game art designers tend to specialize in one type of element, such as character design, costume design or landscape design.
The base salary for a video game artist is $58,695 on average in the United States (source) and the demand for these professionals is expected to continue to grow in the coming years, especially in states such as California, where many video game companies are concentrated.
11. Prepress Technician
A prepress technician prepares files for printing by performing tasks such as proofreading, formatting and image retrieval. He or she ensures that all the necessary elements are in place before sending the files to the printer.
Print technicians earn $42,610 on average in the United States (source), and although demand for these professionals is expected to decline by nearly 10% through 2028, there are still plenty of job opportunities in publishing, advertising, screen printing, and packaging production.
Is a degree in graphic design worth it?
A degree in Graphic Design will provide you with a solid foundation on which to build your career and give you the fundamental skills and knowledge to open doors to dozens of jobs that require this knowledge. In addition, it will help you develop your own criteria and boost your creativity to create attractive and effective designs.
