Are graphic designers paid enough?
Design as a profession is not a career which people generally enter into for financial reasons. It is something which ignites passion rather than supplies financial security. Indeed it is not uncommon for designers to turn down better paid jobs so they can pursue creativity. However in this post I wanted to ask the question: How well are designers paid?
I suppose what motivated me to ask this question was seeing a chart of salaries both freelance and permanent. What supprised me most of all was the comparison to rates for people who work alongside designers in design based agencies, but perform account roles. It seems to me the job consists of several elements: managing internal specialist, such as designers, meeting deadlines, issuing briefs after discussing projects with clients and of course, once the work is done, presenting and defending the results. The job may well have its creative elements, but it’s just as much about admin and project management.
I must admit that I am speculating to some degree here as I’m a designer an accounts manager, I don’t fully know. And whilst these skills are all admirable and definitely necessary, I am not sure why it justifies higher pay rates to that of a designer. Surely much of what this entails is presenting a designer’s work. As good as your presentation skills may be, most of the outcome of that particular meeting will depend on the quality of the design work.
To point out the differences, below are the comparing tables from major players (a design recruiters website). It appears to give career stages and experience in contrast to salary expectations. A graduate designer’s wage starts out at 17k, where a graduate account handler is 18-20k. Thats a difference of up to 3k, at a very early career stage, and quite a big one. The senior account handler, which is shown to be the same level as a middleweight designer, earns up to 8k more for a similar experience level (26-30 in comparison to 30-38). Its a bit less clear towards the very top end, but a design director earns 45-60k, in contrast to a board director, which is 70k plus. Again quite a difference.
So why the differences? I think probably the sad truth is that it all comes down to what an employee can get away with, to how much competition there is and supply and demand. As already mentioned, design is a profession that is born from passion and therefore is considered an enjoyable profession. An artistic one if you will. Therefore, there are a lot of designers and thus competition for individual jobs. So designers, no matter how much talent they possess are forced to take low wages to gain employment. Perhaps there is less competition or more demand for account handling positions?
So what is the solution for the designer of today? The sad fact is that there is only a limited number of highly paid jobs available and probably not every designer will end up with one. Do they therefore drift over to account management? Is that the next step in career evolution following a path to studio manager? Or do they follow the increasing trend of going freelance or starting their own studios? Either way, the decisions are difficult ones to make and not without risk.
Of course, not being an expert on the account side, it is very possible I have got much of this information wrong, so apologies for any inaccuracies or offence. But I would love to hear your opinions? Do you think the salary differences are justified? Is account handling a step up in the career ladder from design? Be great to hear your views. Happy designing or account handling everyone…