May 7, 2010
Senior Graphic Design Specialist
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Average Salary: $50,000 Top Salary: $100,000 Entry Level Salary: $35,000 Average Hours: 40+ Union: Varies Certifications: Seminars, Portfolio Training Period: 6+ Years Strong Markets: Metropolitan areas Job Growth Forecast: 10% |
Also called a Senior Graphic Artist, this individual creates visual solutions to communication problems. Using a knowledge of type, art, composition, illustration, photography, and all of the visual arts, Graphic Designers also use computers to put together visuals for advertising, packaging, promotions, layout of newspapers and magazines, branding, just about everything that uses graphic arts. The Senior Specialist, in a book or magazine publishing house or a design firm, would be like an advertising Creative Director. This person would oversee other graphic artists and help plan larger projects.
Average Salary:
The average salary for a graphic designer is $50,000 at a newspaper; and $75,000 at a magazine. Those working on advertising are usually freelance and can make any amount of money.
Average Hours (per week):
The average work week usually exceeds forty hours, depending on the average deadline, which almost certainly demands working late nights.
Union:
No, except possibly if working in the newspapers.
Certifications:
Even a senior artist needs to keep up a good portfolio of work.
Training Period:
Six years at least as a graphic artist is required before one may get the title Senior Graphic Artist. A Bachelor’s degree in graphic design with a broad liberal arts background, computer courses, and marketing or psychology courses form a good foundation. The senior graphic artist needs to keep up with new forms of computer graphic software, as well as new type fonts, and design trends.
Strongest Market(s):
For senior graphic design positions in magazines, the top ten most populated cities all have a good number of publications, though New York is still the center of the magazine publishing world. For graphic arts in general, the top fifty cities in population are the top-fifty strongest markets.
Entry Level Salary:
$35,000. This is the very low-end of a senior position in graphic design. Most good graphic designers should be making this much in two or three years out of college.
Top Salary:
$75,000 to $100,000. Freelance graphic designers with regular clients can make more than that.
Job Growth Forecast:
Job growth for senior graphic artists is about 10 percent over ten years, about par with the general growth of the job market.
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