How much does a junior graphic designer make?
How much does a junior graphic designer make?
Online right now, in the UK, the lowest role is £15k, the highest is £32k.
Written by Dave Greasley on 23.07.2020
Online right now, in the UK, the lowest role is £15k, the highest is £32k.
Written by Dave Greasley on 23.07.2020
How much does a Junior Graphic Designer make in London?
A quick Google around presented me with 30 Junior roles currently on offer within London. At the lowest end of the scale was a job on 18k, going through to a weighty & quite frankly perplexing 32k.
Now at 18k, in London, unless you’re living rent-free, that’s an impossibly low amount to live on. Quite what you’d be expected to do for 32k as a junior, I do not know. There must be a catch. The average of the below figures lets us know that 22/23k is a more realistic starting point. However if you’re planning to indulge in luxuries like eating, I’d try & aim for around £25k.
The wages looked as follows:
18k 2
19k 2
20k 6
21k 7
22k 10
23k 10
24k 9
25k 8
26k 5
27k 5
28k 5
29k 2
30k 2
31k 1
32k 1
How much does a Junior Graphic Designer Outside of London Make?
Another quick Goooogle lead me to the figures below. This time the base wage is at 15k, with a role in Cambridge (which is practically London) taking the top spot at 26k. Average wages outside of London peak at around 18-20k.
£15,000 seems a very low wage for me. It’s a skilled job and you’ve probably got a tonne of Uni debt to pay off. For us, straight out of Uni – 20k seems a realistic starting point, after a couple of years this should be around 23/24k.
15k 1
16k 5
17k 9
18k 17
19k 15
20k 16
21k 10
22k 10
23k 4
24k 2
25k 2
26k 1
Interesting story...
Back in 2007 when I graduated, I landed my first job in Derby as the creative lead of an advertising company. Fuck knows how. A perfect example of how personality trumps portfolio 🤷♂️.
So I was on 25k, which in 2007 was substantially more than anyone else I knew. I was in way deeper than I could swim and after paddling hard for 6 months, I gave the job up. I couldn’t handle the pressure and I desperately needed people above me to learn from. I landed a job back in Sheffield in a small print & design firm, starting on 12.5k, and very slowly, over the following 6 years, edged back up towards my previous wage.
When to ask for a wage increase?
As soon as possible! Let’s say you took a job on 18k, even though you knew you deserved more. Get in that role, work hard and prove what you’re worth. After 6 months of graft pull your manager to one side and explain why you think you should be on more.
Your wage should be reviewed yearly as a matter of course.
A lot of people have a fear of talking about money. I’ve always had the mindset that if I come in, work hard and make my employer a lot of money, I’m free to ask for a wage that is a fair reflection of my effort. So start as you mean to go on and be confident about talking cash.
Written by Dave Greasley on 23.07.2020
Follow the studio on Instagram and Twitter
Written by Dave Greasley on 23.07.2020
Follow the studio on Instagram and Twitter
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Over the last few years we've become a little jaded with the whole design industry. As we've grown as a business – and more importanly, people – we've seen the importance of helping others, and giving back. We've learnt a hell of a lot during our careers, mostly from fixing fuck-ups, and we want to share this knowledge.
We can see the pitfalls of this industry (we've lived it) and now we're in a position where we can help, rather than just moan about it. We've listened to many a student and young designer asking the same questions, so we know there's a scarcity of answers out there. No inspirational quotes. Just gritty, honest, insights.
Gain Knowledge. Give Knowledge.
Over the last few years we've become a little jaded with the whole design industry. As we've grown as a business – and more importanly, people – we've seen the importance of helping others, and giving back. We've learnt a hell of a lot during our careers, mostly from fixing fuck-ups, and we want to share this knowledge.
We can see the pitfalls of this industry (we've lived it) and now we're in a position where we can help, rather than just moan about it. We've listened to many a student and young designer asking the same questions, so we know there's a scarcity of answers out there. No inspirational quotes. Just gritty, honest, insights.
Gain Knowledge. Give Knowledge.
