Graphic Designers
Arts, Audio/Video Technology and CommunicationsO*NET 27-1024.00United States
Design or create graphics to meet specific commercial or promotional needs, such as packaging, displays, or logos. May use a variety of mediums to achieve artistic or decorative effects.
- Median annual earnings
- $59,412
- Projected change
- +5.9%
- Typical education
- Bachelor's degree
- Employment
- 262.71K jobs
50th percentile, United States
2025 to 2035
65% of the workforce
Growing to 278.27K by 2035
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Build the skills
ASU learning related to this career
These courses and certificates are connected through catalog career relationships and Lightcast skill tags.
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The work
What graphic designers do
Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.
- 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.
- Use computer software to generate new images.
- Prepare digital files for printing.
- Confer with clients to discuss and determine layout design.
- Research the target audience of projects.
- Draw and print charts, graphs, illustrations, and other artwork, using computer.
- Mark up, paste, and assemble final layouts to prepare layouts for printer.
- Study illustrations and photographs to plan presentation of materials, products, or services.
- Maintain archive of images, photos, or previous work products.
- Prepare illustrations or rough sketches of material, discussing them with clients or supervisors and making necessary changes.
- Prepare notes and instructions for workers who assemble and prepare final layouts for printing.
- Research new software or design concepts.
- Produce still and animated graphics for on-air and taped portions of television news broadcasts, using electronic video equipment.
Pay and outlook
What the job pays and where it is heading
Annual earnings range
Reported earnings by percentile, United States
- 10th percentile
- $31,938
- 25th percentile
- $42,831
- 50th percentile
- $59,412
- 75th percentile
- $83,670
- 90th percentile
- $121,692
The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $59,412 and half earn less.
Employment outlook
2025 to 2035 projection
+5.9%average or slower
2025262,713 jobs
2035 projected278,270 jobs
15,557 more positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.
Preparation
Education levels
What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.
- Bachelor's degree
- 65%
- High school diploma or less
- 15%
- Master's or Professional degree
- 10%
- Some college
- 5%
- Associate degree
- 5%
Skills
Skills employers ask for
Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.
How the work gets done
Core competencies
Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.
- Active Listening
- Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Speaking
- Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Critical Thinking
- Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
- Active Learning
- Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
- Writing
- Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
- Reading Comprehension
- Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
- Complex Problem Solving
- Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- Coordination
- Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- Social Perceptiveness
- Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Time Management
- Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Persuasion
- Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
- Negotiation
- Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
- Monitoring
- Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Service Orientation
- Actively looking for ways to help people.
- Systems Analysis
- Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
- Learning Strategies
- Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
- Instructing
- Teaching others how to do something.
- Operations Analysis
- Analyzing needs and product requirements to create a design.
- Systems Evaluation
- Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
In the market
Job titles and employers
Recent job postings in United StatesCommon job titles
- 01Graphic Designers7,593 postings
- 02Graphic Artists438 postings
- 03Graphic Design Interns426 postings
- 04Production Graphic Designers273 postings
- 05Motion Graphics Designers270 postings
- 06Apparel Graphic Designers200 postings
- 07Designers159 postings
- 08Unigraphics Designers159 postings
- 09Packaging Graphic Designers151 postings
- 10Lead Graphic Designers141 postings
- 11Graphic Designers/Production Artists117 postings
- 12Graphic Designers/Printers111 postings
- 13Graphic Design Specialists107 postings
- 14Production Designers107 postings
- 15Print Graphic Designers102 postings
- 16Graphics Managers87 postings
- 17Marketing Associates/Graphic Designers84 postings
- 18Graphics Production Managers80 postings
- 19Visual Graphic Designers78 postings
- 20Contract Graphic Designers75 postings
Top employers
- 01Robert Half385 postings
- 02Nike131 postings
- 03Freeman92 postings
- 04Skill91 postings
- 0524 Seven80 postings
- 06Fujifilm54 postings
- 07Maximus53 postings
- 08Rxbenefits48 postings
- 09Cella45 postings
- 10Cornerstone Ondemand44 postings
- 11Integrity Trade Services40 postings
- 12Southern New Hampshire University35 postings
- 13Cushman & Wakefield34 postings
- 14ManpowerGroup33 postings
- 1524 Seven Talent Ca32 postings
- 16Minuteman Press32 postings
- 17CannonDesign30 postings
- 18Workana30 postings
- 19Kimley-Horn29 postings
- 20Cleopatra Ink28 postings
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