The salaries for graphic designers will range depending on various experience, education, and quality of work. Salary ranges may also be affected depending on the corporation or company a graphic artist is employed for. As noted earlier, graphic designers have a large amount of opportunities to work in many different industries. Salary information may vary depending on the nature of the work. Artists that generally work in print ad will make less than artists specializing in motion pictures and film.
Another factor in the rate of pay for a graphic artist is the level of responsibility. Reports published by the American Institute for Graphic Arts in 2005 indicate the average salaries based on position and level of responsibility. Entry-level artists earned on average, $32,000 per year. These would be designers fresh out of college or those just beginning in the professional world of graphic art. One step up from the entry-level is a position known as staff-level. Graphic designers who fall into this category earned $42,500 per year. Senior designers, who are also considered supervisors or managers, can earn an average of $56,000 per year. Senior designers have the decision-making power and work with artists to develop many projects.
Graphic artists that are disciplined and like to work on their on schedule can make a good living working as a freelance designer. Freelance artists work on contract from many companies and corporations. In 2005, the reported median income for the year was $60,000.
Graphic designers that have created their own company and firm rounded out the top in percentages of annual income. On the average they earn $100,000 per year. This is similar to the earnings of art directors in major corporations. Art or design directors earn on average, $90,000 per year.
Here is a breakdown of median annual earnings for specific industries that hired the greatest number of graphic designers.
Architectural, engineering and related services $42,740 per year
Specialized design services $41,620 per year
Advertising and related services $40,010 per year
Printing and related services $32,830 per year
Newspaper, periodical, book and directory $32,390 per year Publishers
Graphic designers have many options for finding work in this specialized field. There are opportunities to work from home, in radio, in television, and in the movies. Artists may also find themselves employed in large corporations and can be successful owning their own company. The options and possibilities in this career are endless. With the advances in technology and the dependency on computers, this is one of those careers that is only growing in demand.
