Media & Creative
What you can do with Graphic Design
Create visual communication for brands, products, and digital experiences.
- Careers
- 5
- Early career
- $50,000
- Mid-career
- $80,000
- Growing fast
- 1 of 5
How these numbers work: A major does not have its own salary. Early and mid-career pay is what people who hold this degree earn at the start of their careers and midway through them. Career pay comes from the 5 careers a Graphic Design degree commonly leads to, and counts everyone in those jobs, including people who have been doing them for thirty years. The two answer different questions, which is why they do not match.
The New York Fed does not report Graphic Design on its own. Its early and mid-career figures here are for Commercial Art & Graphic Design, the broader group it places this major in.
1 of 5 careers this degree leads to is projected to grow faster than average from 2024 to 2034. Of those, UX Researcher / Designer has the most openings, about 9,100 a year.
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5 careers this degree leads to
Art Director
$114,850Set the visual direction for brands, publications, and productions, leading designers to a unified look.
- Middle half of workers
- $82,480 to $162,640
- Growth
- About average
- Openings a year
- 12,300
Work-life62Remote64- Creative Direction
- Design Systems
- Team Leadership
- Client Presentation
UX Researcher / Designer
$104,000Conduct user research and design intuitive, accessible digital interfaces that meet user needs and business goals.
- Middle half of workers
- $73,290 to $158,820
- Growth
- Much faster than average
- Openings a year
- 9,100
Work-life75Remote85Satisfaction80- User Research
- Wireframing and Prototyping
- Usability Testing
- Information Architecture
Animator / Special Effects Artist
$102,030Create the animation and effects behind games, film, and advertising using digital tools and a strong visual eye.
- Middle half of workers
- $75,490 to $139,130
- Growth
- Slower than average
- Openings a year
- 5,000
Work-life46Remote63- 3D Animation
- Visual Effects
- Storyboarding
- Creative Software
Graphic Designer
$62,960Create visual concepts to communicate ideas that inspire and inform consumers.
- Middle half of workers
- $49,040 to $81,830
- Growth
- Slower than average
- Openings a year
- 20,000
Work-life72Remote82Satisfaction72- Adobe Creative Suite
- Typography
- Layout Design
- Color Theory
Merchandise Displayer
$39,390Design the displays, windows and store layouts that show products off and move them.
- Middle half of workers
- $35,130 to $47,220
- Growth
- About average
- Openings a year
- 20,800
- Visual Design
- Spatial Layout
- Trend Awareness
- Manual Skills
Related majors
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Where these pay figures come from
Early and mid-career pay is the median annual wage of full-time workers who hold a bachelor's degree in that major, ages 22 to 27 and ages 35 to 45, from 2024 data. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (IPUMS). Published as Outcomes by Major by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
Career pay is the annual wage of everyone working in that occupation, not only recent graduates, so it includes people who have done the job for decades. The middle half is the 25th to the 75th percentile. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and O*NET OnLine (median and percentile annual wages May 2025; employment projections 2024-2034).
All figures are national. What you earn depends on where you work, who you work for, and how far you take the degree.