Graphic Design Salaries
How much would you make as a graphic designer? As of May 2006, the median annual earnings for full-time graphic designers was $39,000. The middle 50 percent of earners pulled in between $30,600 and $53,310, while the lowest 10 percent subsisted on less than $24,120. On the other side of the spectrum, the highest 10 percent earned more than $69,730.
Certain areas were more lucrative than others, however. Graphic designers who specialized in the following five specialized fields were the most successful:
|
Specialized design services |
$43,410 |
|
Advertising and related services |
41,600 |
|
Newspaper, periodical, book, and directory publishers |
34,290 |
|
Printing and related support activities |
33,930 |
|
Newspaper publishers |
31,540 |
But say you've just graduated-how much would you earn as a fresh face with no experience behind you? According to numbers from the American Institute of Graphic Arts, that median was $35,000 in 2007. The salaries for other positions follow:
|
Entry-level designers |
$35,000 |
|
Staff-level designers |
45,000 |
|
Senior designers |
62,000 |
|
Freelancers |
60,000 |
|
Design directors |
98,600 |
|
Design firm owners and partners |
113,000 |
*Information comes from the U.S. Department of Labor site



