How much does a graphic designer earn and what does he do?

What does a graphic designer do?

Not everyone has a clear idea of ​​the field in which graphic designers work. Many people think that they are mainly engaged in the development of leaflets, flyers and banners. But this is only a small part of their work, because qualified graphic designers:

1. work in printing, creating designs for various printed products, including packaging and labels,
2. engage in branding and develop a corporate identity for private companies (business cards, logos, letterheads, calendars - all of these are elements of such a style),
3. work in the fashion industry, at the intersection between classic fashion illustration and modern lookbooks and graphics for glossy publications,
4. work in the Internet sphere, designing the appearance of websites, banners and other advertising elements, because even the font size or menu layout can influence the attractiveness of a web resource, and it is the designer who must think through all this,
5. create layouts of books, magazines and other printed publications,
6. working on infographics for printed publications, presentations, information stands,
7. working on elements of outdoor advertising.

A graphic designer can be either a universal specialist working in several areas at once, or a specialist with a narrow focus. But, as a rule, successful graphic designers choose several related areas at once, for example, they are engaged in branding and printing.

What is a graphic designer?

So let's start with the definition.

A graphic designer is a specialist who develops graphic elements. These include logo, font, icons, site appearance and more.

The work is one hundred percent creative. If you have a penchant for mathematics and programming, then most likely there is no point in trying to become a graphics specialist. All people can be clearly divided into two types:

● The first are physicists. They are very good at mathematics, physics, and exact sciences. Freelance jobs involve mainly programming and server administration.

● The second are lyricists. They make excellent copywriters, web designers, YouTubers, and bloggers.

If you can draw by hand, and you helped everyone in fine art at school, then this is the job for you.

How to become a graphic designer?

Until relatively recently, it was believed that in order to become a graphic designer, having a higher education was not mandatory. But today, due to increased competition, it has become clear that the better a specialist’s background, the greater his chances of getting a good job or receiving a fairly large order.

Basic knowledge can be obtained in courses or on your own, but do not forget about more fundamental training. A graphic designer has the following options for professional growth:

1. Self-study - for this you need to watch training videos on the Internet, read specialized literature, etc.,
2. Courses – they come in different durations, from several weeks to six months. Some of them may be proprietary techniques. Classes in such courses can be correspondence. This is only sufficient in cases where a person already has an artistic education and he simply wants to choose a specialization,
3. Seminars – these are often held in the form of online conferences and involve remote work. They are not suitable for obtaining basic knowledge, since they are mainly designed to improve specific skills. So this option is more suitable for advanced training, which in principle is also very important,
4. Art schools. This is necessary for mastering drawing as a whole; in combination with courses, it provides more serious training,
5. Vocational educational institutions. Today, many computer colleges offer training in such specialties.

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Finally, it should be noted that art universities also offer graphic design as one of the directions. As an example of the most famous Russian universities working in this field, it is worth mentioning the Moscow Art Institute. Surikov and the capital's Stroganov Academy. By the way, a branch of the very respectable British Higher School of Design has been opened in the capital.

Where to study to become a graphic designer

The basics of graphic design are now taught even to schoolchildren in special electives, but this is often not enough to start working. A worker in this profession must constantly receive additional education and be able to sell himself. You can learn additional skills in the following ways:

• independently - you need to read specialized literature and websites, study programs, work with special equipment;
• Full-time or distance courses lasting from 1 to 6 months will help you understand all aspects of your activity;
• Seminars are designed to bridge knowledge gaps and explore new design trends, some of which are free;
• art schools help you learn to draw, develop your own technique, and are suitable for beginners;
• colleges allow you to gain basic knowledge, graduates easily find employment, receiving offers from potential employers already in their final years;
• Universities help you obtain all the knowledge necessary for work, develop your own style and artistic features.

Not all educational institutions are listed among employers. If you want to get a position in a publishing house or a large agency, you will have to study in Moscow. You should choose from the following institutions: “Moscow Art Institute named after Surikov”, “Stroganov Academy”, “Institute of Business and Design”, “Moscow branch of the British Higher School of Design”. In most cases, training is paid, so many people first start working as graphic designers and then get an education.

Requirements for a graphic designer

Today on the Internet you can find many books, training videos and motivational texts that everyone can become a graphic designer. This is actually a misconception. Indeed, anyone can master the basics of graphic design. But it takes more than that to become a successful graphic designer. The following qualities are important for such a specialist:

1. knowledge of the basics of drawing and painting, ability to draw by hand,
2. presence of artistic taste,
3. knowledge of the basics of coloristics and color psychology,
4. creative thinking,
5. spatial imagination,
6. attention to detail.

There is one more important point. Many people believe that a graphic designer, like any creative people, can only work in moments of some kind of insight. Actually this is not true. Today, a graphic designer, especially if he is a freelancer, is required to have a high level of self-discipline, the ability to work in a given mode, perseverance, and a willingness to do monotonous work if a specific project requires it. And a graphic designer is not always expected to have knowledge in the field of art history and the development of various trends, but their presence is an important competitive advantage.

As for specific practical skills, you need to be able to use special programs and graphic editors. They are constantly being improved, new products appear, so you need to attend seminars in order to understand all these innovations. It is impossible to do without knowledge of graphic editors, because they are needed in order to transfer ideas from a sheet of paper to the digital world.

Other professions: Notary - professional training, salary

How to learn a profession?

The future graphic designer must be able to present mental images in the form of computer graphics elements. It is necessary that his knowledge base includes mastery of various artistic techniques and the principles of drawing up artistic compositions.

To successfully climb the career ladder and, accordingly, increase your salary, a graphic designer must:

• Freehand drawing;
• have artistic taste, distinguish between styles;
• have imaginative thinking;
• concentrate on the work process;
• strive for growth, constantly improve education.

Every famous graphic designer is a professional artist for whom creativity is a part of life.

In addition to artistic skills, the future specialist will have to master a number of special computer programs and graphic editors. As a rule, advanced training lasts throughout the entire activity, however, with the proper use of skills, perseverance and determination, a novice designer can begin to fulfill the first orders just a few months after the start of training.

How much does a graphic designer earn in Russia?

The average salary of a graphic designer in Russia is 38-39 thousand rubles. However, it should be understood that the actual income gap may be much larger. So, a beginner can earn 15-30 thousand rubles. And an experienced specialist working in a sought-after field can receive 150 thousand rubles monthly or more.

Basically, the salary of a graphic designer is influenced by several factors - experience, speed of work, recommendations from regular clients. But an equally important factor is the region of residence.

Traditionally, wages in the capital are higher than in most regions. The average in Moscow is 55 thousand rubles, but there are plenty of vacancies where graphic designers are offered 100 thousand rubles and even larger amounts. The situation is approximately the same in St. Petersburg. Here, a qualified specialist can find a job with a salary of 90-100 thousand rubles per month.

According to official statistics, graphic designers in Yekaterinburg receive the highest salaries. The average salary in this region is 70 thousand rubles. But, for example, in Tula and Tver the average monthly income of a graphic designer is 45-48 thousand rubles.

Official work as a designer in an agency or private firm

It is not easy for an aspiring designer to find a permanent job in a cool design agency or private company. But if you know how to sell yourself in such a way that they will buy you even without experience, you can count on a salary from 40,000 to 150,000, it all depends on professionalism and work experience.

Working for an agency is profitable and convenient. You are always busy, with interesting projects and growth. For sociable people, working in an office is a plus, but lovers of free travel will not be happy with a vacation once a year.

Employment options and salaries in companies may be different. Some companies hire remote employees on a permanent basis and assign them a fixed salary. For example, an online store where you need to update the design of packaging, products, come up with layouts for various promotions, etc. The salary of such an employee depends on the amount of work and the complexity of the tasks.

Forms of labor organization

Many designers today prefer freelancing. It is difficult to say anything about any fixed income; most often we are talking about standard prices for the project. For example, an avatar for a channel on Telegram, Youtube, VKontakte will cost the reserve 500-1000 rubles, landing pages are developed on average for 3000 rubles. Most often, designers find customers through freelance exchanges, which act as intermediaries and guarantors. This makes it possible to choose the most interesting orders. If we are talking about some complex work, the price will need to be calculated separately, mainly based on the time spent.

Working in an advertising agency or design studio has its advantages. The problem is that it is difficult for a newcomer to get a job in a good company. On average, an ordinary designer can count on 40-50 thousand rubles per month. The advantages of such work are official registration, paid sick leave, vacation, and stable employment.

Today, there are certain changes in this area, and some firms are hiring graphic designers to work remotely, which allows for a more flexible schedule. In addition to advertising agencies, designers can be hired by online stores, for example, to design branded packaging and develop advertising campaigns.

How to find a job as a graphic designer?

For a beginning designer, finding your first job is not the easiest task. A high-quality portfolio and a diploma from a well-known school are of great value to him, but they are unlikely to compensate for the lack of experience and a positive reputation among clients and employers. Therefore, even a talented newcomer will have to apply only for junior positions. In addition, there are several subtleties here:

• No studio will consider a candidate without a resume with a photo. You can use a standard template for it or show off your design talents, but in any case it should be informative and neat;
• Today only print product designers display portfolios on paper. For specialists in other niches, it is better to post it online and copy it to a flash drive to show it on the screen. Nowadays it’s fashionable to take a tablet or laptop to an interview;
• Cover letters have already become a necessity when applying for a job in a large company. In the text you need to write briefly about your life goals and priorities, demonstrate your motivation and benefit to the employer;
• Test assignments are usually not offered to applicants with a high-quality portfolio. But a beginner should not take on complex work that will take him several days - the important thing here is to demonstrate your competencies, and not to make a finished product.

As a rule, talented designers receive job offers during courses or while studying at a university. Mid-level specialists will have to try, but they will quickly figure out where to find current vacancies and find out how much graphic designers earn on average:

1. On job portals. This is the most reliable way of passive search: the sites have offers from different companies - from small studios to large productions;
2. In social networks. Here you need to view your own accounts of design studios or specialized groups for communication between representatives of the profession;
3. Directly from the employer. Initiative is valued in today's market. If a newcomer already knows where he wants to work, he needs to be persistent and prove himself;
4. With the help of colleagues. By communicating with other designers, you can receive information about available vacancies. Sometimes a smart worker is even lured away on purpose;
5. On the exchanges. This option is primarily suitable for freelancers, but sometimes you can find offers for long-term cooperation on these sites.

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Reviews

1. I have been working in the field of graphic design for 7 years. When I first started working, I mainly worked on business cards and flyers. A couple of years ago I opened my own agency, and now we offer our clients the development of corporate identity and advertising campaigns for social networks and websites. On average, my net income is 100 thousand rubles per month, but I do not only design, but also administrative work. The salary of each employee is negotiated separately depending on the amount of work he is going to do. I try to distribute the workload so that no one has constant deadlines and stress, because this really interferes with the work in reality. In case of something urgent, it is better to involve someone else reliable from the outside than to get work done in a hurry. Of course, graphic design is constantly evolving, the situation here is changing, we are trying to make sure that employees want to learn, and I myself regularly attend courses and seminars.
2. What attracts me to graphic design, first of all, in addition to the purely creative side of the process, is the opportunity not to sit in an office, but to be a freelancer. Everything here depends only on me. It is clear that I try to organize my schedule myself so that I can manage everything. Over the five years of work, I even managed to make my cash flow more stable. The average monthly income is 60 thousand rubles per month, but in the summer it may be lower because business activity decreases. In some successful months I can receive 100-130 thousand rubles. I pay taxes on these amounts because I am registered as a self-employed person. Well, various equipment, seminars, visiting exhibitions - all this is also from my money, but this is included in production costs.