31 High-Paying Design Jobs To Consider (With Salaries)
Updated February 16, 2023
If you're considering a career in design, you can explore a wide selection of positions that value creativity. Designers work in marketing, software development, architecture, fashion and many other fields. If you understand the potential design careers, you can better prepare yourself to find your desired position. In this article, we list 31 high-paying design positions to consider.
23 high-paying design jobs
A design career allows you to use creativity in your professional career, whether creating artwork for an advertising campaign or designing a user-friendly website. The average salary for a designer is $59,696 per year, but there are opportunities to earn over six figures. Entry-level positions often focus on creating material, and more senior-level positions often oversee projects.
Here are some of the high-paying design jobs you can pursue. For the most up-to-date Indeed salaries, click on the links provided.
1. Landscape designer
National average salary: $60,093 per year
Primary duties: A landscape designer develops plans for exterior green spaces. Designers often focus on aesthetics by incorporating perennial flowers into their plans. The designer might incorporate elements such as art or seating areas into their open space designs.
2. Design manager
National average salary: $61,872 per year
Primary duties: A design manager works with graphics and design teams in a supervisory role. The manager might evaluate the work of a graphics team, provide directions and manage deadlines. The manager coordinates with peers within the organization regarding ongoing projects.
3. Architectural designer
National average salary: $62,367 per year
Primary duties: An architectural designer works to create buildings and interior spaces. They often incorporate visual style into creating a functional building space. Sometimes, they design a floor plan within an established building. For example, a company might hire an architectural designer to create their office space. The plan might include design elements meant to convey a company culture while also creating a comfortable workspace.
4. Brand manager
National average salary: $63,312 per year
Primary duties: A brand manager works to enhance the visual appearance of a product. The manager might create a logo and work on the product's exterior packaging. Sometimes, a brand manager creates the product's design, incorporating branding ideas into the design process.
Related: Learn About Being a Brand Manager
5. Art director
National average salary: $64,357 per year
Primary duties: Art directors work in a supervisory role, overseeing the work of designers and artists. The art director helps determine the visual look of advertisements and marketing campaigns. Art directors also work in film, TV and web design.
Related: Learn About Being an Art Director
6. Marketing manager
National average salary: $64,357 per year
Primary duties: A marketing manager often works for an agency or private company, leading a messaging or brand strategy. The marketing manager might work with digital ad campaigns, designing the advertisements and deciding on messaging and visuals. The manager also might work with more traditional display advertising or develop content marketing ideas.
Related: Learn About Being a Marketing Manager
7. Landscape architect
National average salary: $66,906 per year
Primary duties: A landscape architect plans green spaces, often incorporating functionality into their designs. For example, they might incorporate flood mitigation into their plans. They sometimes work with a building architect to create exterior plans that complement building construction.
8. Design consultant
National average salary: $67,567 per year
Primary duties: A design consultant is someone brought onto a project to provide input and guidance. The consultant usually has expertise in advertising or as an artist and can help a company design an advertising campaign or a branding strategy. The design consultant often works independently on a per-project basis.
9. Advertising director
National average salary: $67,663 per year
Primary duties: An advertising director plays a senior role in planning and executing advertising campaigns and creating messaging. The director provides direction to an advertising staff and evaluates the work of all professionals involved in the project. They may also work with clients and stakeholders regarding contracts and high-priority projects.
10. Industrial designer
National average salary: $68,238 per year
Primary duties: An industrial designer works to develop industrial products. They sometimes evaluate and design production processes to improve efficiency. For example, an industrial designer might look at the production floor and design a new layout to address wasted space and redundancies.
11. Concept artist
National average salary: $71,170 per year
Primary duties: A concept artist creates art to align with a marketing or branding campaign. The artist takes a concept and creates a visual style around the idea. For example, if a company wants to emphasize that their product is a lightweight, easy-to-use tool, the concept artist might create visuals that align with that messaging.
12. Design engineer
National average salary: $76,334 per year
Primary duties: A design engineer often works to create tools and industrial products. Design engineers can work in many industries and create plans for different products. For example, a design engineer might create plans for an engine layout for an auto manufacturer.
Related: Learn About Being a Design Engineer
13. Design technologist
National average salary: $77,660 per year
Primary duties: A design technologist often works with creating plans for innovative technology. The design technologist might work in a field like robotics, creating new products. The technologist usually seeks to push the boundaries of their field through designs for new or existing products.
14. UI designer
National average salary: $78,245 per year
Primary duties: A UI designer focuses on the visual experience that a digital user has. The UI designer can work for any digital product, including websites or mobile apps. The designer might use visual cues to attract the user's attention and prompt desired action.
15. Senior designer
National average salary: $78,284 per year
Primary duties: A senior designer works in various fields in a supervisory role. The senior designer might lead projects, providing the vision for a project. Sometimes the senior designer contributes their own design work as part of a team, and sometimes, the designer might review the work of others, evaluating designs and providing feedback.
16. Creative director
National average salary: $79,157 per year
Primary duties: A creative director might work in various industries, providing an overarching vision to the creative process. Sometimes a creative director works for an advertising agency and might lead the staff in creating campaigns. The creative director might design the campaign and plan how different creative elements deliver the desired message.
Related: Learn About Being a Creative Director
17. Video game designer
National average salary: $79,353 per year
Primary duties: A video game designer works to create games for consoles, computers or mobile devices. The video game designer might focus on creating a specific atmosphere for the game. After launch, the designer might continue to create items for game updates. Some video game designers might focus more on how the game plays, working on physics and functionality within the game.
18. Application developer
National average salary: $80,589 per year
Primary duties: An application developer creates programs and software for different digital platforms. The application developer might help design mobile apps, for example. The application developer often works in a problem-solving capacity, designing software to address a particular issue within a program.
19. Product designer
National average salary: $87,234 per year
Primary duties: A product designer can work in a variety of industries. The designer helps determine the appearance of the product. The designer might evaluate materials for the product, potential colors and its physical design. For example, a product designer might work for an auto manufacturer, adding stylistic touches to the design of a new line of cars.
20. Demand generation manager
National average salary: $88,065 per year
Primary duties: A demand generation manager works with the digital design of web products to optimize user engagement. The manager might work to create products that include lead generation elements. The manager might work with email content, chat boxes and forms on the website.
21. UX designer
National average salary: $89,828 per year
Primary duties: A UX designer works with the presentation and functionality of websites. The UX designer works to create a website that leads to desired user action and interaction. For example, if a website has a button to click to submit information, the designer presents the button so that the user knows where to find it and what to do.
Related: Learn About Being a UX Designer
22. Videographer
National average salary: $92,564 per year
Primary duties: A videographer works with taking video at events. A videographer might work for an agency or a company or work independently. A videographer might film social events such as weddings or work to record speakers at large business events and conferences. Some videographers might make videos by assignment, such as a company's introductory video or a safety video.
23. Front-end web developer
National average salary: $101,380 per year
Primary duties: A front-end web developer creates a positive online experience for users. The front-end developer helps bring the UX and web design of a website to reality, working to improve functionality while incorporating design elements. A front-end developer works with a variety of advanced programming languages.
8 more design jobs to consider
Below are 8 additional design jobs for which you can apply. For the most up-to-date Indeed salaries, click on the links provided.
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