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nycdunz · Mar 12, 2007, 12:21 PM

i know the market is different depending on area, but in general,I would like to figure out an average of how much the typical designer makes per year... I am trying to figure out a salary requirement and need some help here.

To figure out a salary do you set it up like this: hourly pay x 40 hours per week x 52 weeks = yearly salary

Is that correct?

Thorzdad · Mar 12, 2007, 12:42 PM

Are you talking about a "typical" design job with an agency? A print shop? Freelance? Those are all going to have different pay scales, as well as different variables to figure-in.

You might want to look through The Graphic Artists Guild Guide for reference.

JonoMarshall · Mar 12, 2007, 12:45 PM

I've yet to see an accurate table of design salaried based on experience/location/skills/etc... in my experience of working in London it's extremely varied.

Also you need to specify what kind of design you'll be doing/requesting, are you putting a salary requirement forward for a freelancer/going for a job? Is an agency involved, is it high profile work? etc.

nycdunz · Mar 12, 2007, 01:16 PM

well its for a small ad agency, very small, i will probably be the only designer there. they do everything that gets printed, brochures, flyers, business cards, direct mail, corp identity, logos, etc... i just dont want to over do it on my salary request when they ask me how much i am expecting. I don't want to blow my chance. I have had about 6+ years in experience.

new2me · Mar 12, 2007, 02:06 PM

The AIGA publishes an annual salary guide by region.

nycdunz · Mar 12, 2007, 02:12 PM

well if i wanted to calculate my own salary is hourly rate x 40 hrs x 52 weeks = yearly salary the correct way to get an estimate?

andi*pandi · Mar 12, 2007, 07:20 PM

yes.

Macola · Mar 12, 2007, 11:16 PM

Don't forget to factor in benefits.

nycdunz · Mar 12, 2007, 11:27 PM

thanks a lot guys...

if you don't mind me asking, how much do you guys make around?

nycdunz · 02:24 PM

Ok I managed to find a copy of the 2006 AIGA Salary Guide. However it doesn't list Houston, TX... So I'm not sure what to go by, I'm guessing I would fall under the 'designer' category. I have been working as a graphic designer for about 6-7 years now. I guess I don't fall under Sr. Designer yet.

How do you use this guide though? Does the salary show that you're working for a big company or a small one? Thats what I am confused about...

I just want to see if I'm getting underpaid, and is this guide the best there is to follow up on as a graphic designer? Or is there a more accurate guide?

tpicco · Mar 13, 2007, 02:07 PM

Originally Posted by nycdunz

thanks a lot guys...

if you don't mind me asking, how much do you guys make around?

ha ha ha ha ha... let's see... By the end of 2003 I was making $60,000 as a "Corporate Design Director" for a non-profit trade society in NYC. I had, over the previous 14 years, worked my way up from $30,000 & much lesser responsibilities... at the end I designed the monthly magazine, oversaw and/or designed all brochures, flyers, mailers, house ads, annual trade show materials (ads, programs, etc) and oversaw two staff members: one print design assistant and one web design assistant. (I did no web design myself.)

After getting fired, I have been freelancing the last few years.
That has been VERY variable...

nycdunz · Mar 13, 2007, 02:28 PM

tpicco, would you consider 22k a year as a designer with 6-7 years design experience to be underpaid? I work at a small company, we only have 2 designers total... and no benefits...

andi*pandi · Mar 13, 2007, 02:30 PM

^yes, you are underpaid, depending on the industry. some companies treat designers as no more than admins.

I am slightly underpaid for 15 years experience in the boston area but have excellent benefits.

nycdunz · Mar 13, 2007, 02:39 PM

andipandi, even though my company/office is very small? theres only like 3 people total working here... boss, me, and another designer... i would think that would be an average rate for a small design company

andi*pandi · 03:02 PM

put it this way, nyc, in 1993 I made 22K working for a small print shop, just out of college with 1 year experience. In a recession. Entry-level salaries have surely raised since then... the survey says so. You are most definitely underpaid.

Thorzdad · Mar 13, 2007, 03:19 PM

22k is definitely underpaid. Especially in NYC. And with no benefits. That's underpaid as an entry-level position here in this small town.

The industry is in a state of flux these days. We're experiencing many of the same pressures as other industries when it comes to dealing with cheaper labor. It seems employers (and freelance clients) are increasingly turning to what I would term "semi-pro" talent...people armed with a copy of Photoshop willing to work for half (or less) of what a trained pro would charge. The problem being that far too many employer/clients see only the cost and not the quality a trained designer provides. This, of course, puts downward pressure on salaries and rates.

As an example, I recently interviewed for a senior AD position at a local cultural institution. They were looking for someone to handle all of their image programs and marketing materials as well as internal graphics and display design. They were looking for someone with several years experience in the field. They were definitely not looking for someone fresh from school. It was not an entry-level position. The pay, however, was only 30k.

It's a real concern, at least in my neck of the woods.

andi*pandi · Mar 13, 2007, 03:57 PM

Ah, so they really weren't looking for a Sr AD!

I hate that. Well, we're not going to pay you much, but here's this fancy title we'll add in for FREE!

tpicco · Mar 13, 2007, 04:46 PM

Originally Posted by nycdunz

tpicco, would you consider 22k a year as a designer with 6-7 years design experience to be underpaid? I work at a small company, we only have 2 designers total... and no benefits...

Underpaid? No.. no... I would call that slavery... 7 years ago at my old job, entry level was $24k and that included benefits... and they didn't pay well

tpicco · Mar 13, 2007, 04:47 PM

I hate those want ads asking for a "designer" to do all print AND all web... for the same salary we used to get for just print!

nycdunz · Mar 13, 2007, 04:53 PM

i'm now relocated in Houston, TX though, not in NYC anymore, sorry if i forgot to mention that... Even so at 22K salary in a really small design company doesn't sound right to you guys at all? Even with someone who had 6-7 years working experience as a designer? Sigh, this is depressing to know... It's real difficult finding a job as a graphic designer down here, well to me at least. Don't know what to do. I feel like I have been cheated all these years, and I thought I was getting decent pay since it's a very small company.

andi*pandi · Mar 13, 2007, 06:13 PM

22k might, MIGHT be ok in a very rural setting as an ENTRY-LEVEL position. You have experience. There are no other benefits to offset poor salary. Has your book improved under this boss? Are there still things to learn from them? If not, might be time for a change. Remember, this is the salary path you will be on for the rest of your career.

I once turned down a $6/hr "design job with some sales" in a rural area-- I was making more than that answering phones. You might actually make more as an admin who does "some marketing materials." Read into the ads and see what else is out there.

nycdunz · Mar 14, 2007, 05:24 PM

is the salary listed in AIGA 2006 guide aimed towards large companies, medium, small or it doesn't matter?

Chuckit · Mar 14, 2007, 06:07 PM

Whether you're at a big company or a small company doesn't make a difference to whether you're well-paid. Whether you can expect to be well-paid, maybe, but not whether your pay is actually high or not.

himself · Mar 15, 2007, 04:12 AM

Originally Posted by new2me

The AIGA publishes an annual salary guide by region.

PDF link for 2006 survey.

art_director · Mar 15, 2007, 04:21 PM

Originally Posted by himself

PDF link for 2006 survey.

Wow, from what I know of this market ( Mpls ) they surveyed lesser-paid ADs, CDs and Designers. That or I know the people who are making a good wage.

Thorzdad · Mar 15, 2007, 04:35 PM

Originally Posted by art_director

Wow, from what I know of this market ( Mpls ) they surveyed lesser-paid ADs, CDs and Designers. That or I know the people who are making a good wage.

Established talents and those working in the high-visibility shops are probably still making good money. But, remember, the market includes tons of faceless people either starting out or working as one-man art departments in small companies, or whatever. They aren't making the big bucks. And they pretty-much represent the direction things are heading.

art_director · Mar 15, 2007, 04:41 PM

Originally Posted by Thorzdad

And they pretty-much represent the direction things are heading.

You think so? There's an ebb and flow to the market.

I'd point to Best Buy's brand work being in review as one example that may go against that possible trend. Their in-house creative department had been handling the work to this point.

art_director · Mar 15, 2007, 05:00 PM

Thorzdad,

The more I consider your post the more I believe you have a solid point.

Thorzdad · 05:22 PM

Originally Posted by art_director

You think so? There's an ebb and flow to the market.

I'd point to Best Buy's brand work being in review as one example that may go against that possible trend. Their in-house creative department had been handling the work to this point.

I certainly hope you're right.
On the other hand, it's certainly possible that handing it all (or parts of it) over to an outside shop could be cheaper for them, overall.
Let's say they send the whole thing outside. Why keep the inside creatives on the payroll at all?

Anyway, we're talking about individual salary trends. Whether or not a company moves it's creative work out-of-house really has nothing to do with salary trends.

Edit: A.D...your post squeezed-in right before this one. I didn't catch it in time. L.