Art/Design/Creative Direction

Salary information and career progression

• Opportunity

  Design jobs have been in high demand over the last few years, as more businesses are recognising the power of effective branding. Digital design, in particular, has become more crucial as digital skills in any form are the currency of tomorrow. While there are a large number of Designers in the US market, there is a widening skills gap, making the job search for the ideal candidate extremely competitive.

  Designers must be creative, and should ideally be able to create for a range of business needs and requirements, though they can specialise in one particular style. On a daily basis, Designers will need to work with teams across the business, including but not limited to Copywriters and Marketers, and ensure the design of all materials remains consistent. Designers also need to work closely with Developers and Product Managers, making sure all projects are completed in line with the original designs, and discussing any adjustments that may need to be made.

• Popular industries for Art & Creative Design jobs

  The main employment opportunities for Designers in the US are in the advertising, marketing, architecture, fashion, film, and Tech industries. The businesses and agencies employing Designers completely vary in size: some are niche startups while others are multinational companies.

  All industries can benefit from having a design team, especially now that more businesses are growing their digital platform. Having well designed content helps to attract more customers to a business, whether this is on the website or on social media. Designers may be working on digital or published content, as well as content that may be used internally or externally.

• Recent changes for Design jobs

  One consequence of the world’s digitalisation is that Design jobs which involve digital skills are on the rise and extremely well paid. Salaries for traditional Designers have been increasing, and they are supposed to become even higher. This is because many companies grew faster after hiring top Designers as they differentiated more from their competitors and created a better customer experience.

  There is currently a skills gap in the design industry, and schools are investing in the sector so students can be trained to fill it. Traditional Designers are also having to go back and learn digital design skills, in order to keep their skillset fresh and improve hireability. As more businesses go digital, or start building an online presence, the need for Designers with digital skills has increased.

• Future prospects

  In the coming years the biggest change for the Design job sector is that it will become more hybrid. This means that design will incorporate technical as much as creative aspects. Moreover, design will be a lot more human-centred by combining code, research, visuals, and interaction. These new approaches will create new Design roles, such as Augmented Reality (AR/VR) Designers, Real-Time 3D Designers and Embodied Interaction Designers.

• Salt’s advice for getting a new design job

  Employers’ requirements

  One of the key requirements for landing a Design job is having an excellent portfolio of work. Some hiring managers may look for candidates with a few years experience, depending on the level you’re applying for. Creating a beautiful portfolio of case studies, clearly showing each step of the project from ideation through to research and UX, and finally the finished product is what hiring managers want to see. Designers must also have experience working with modern tools like Sketch as well as Adobe Creative Suite, and be comfortable when using the software.

  CV requirements

  In order to get a Design job, it is helpful to include certain skills on your CV. Perhaps the three most important design skills to showcase are creativity, artistic ability, and time management. Designers must also be able to understand the user’s needs, and design the product to ensure a smooth UX. From a technical point of view, computer skills (i.e. knowing how to use specialised design software) should be included on every Designer’s CV.

  Interview preparation

  A typical Design job interview consists of four parts: experience, portfolio, hard skills, and soft skills. In the first part, you can expect the interviewer to go through your previous roles before going through your portfolio with you, and it’s not uncommon to be asked things like: “Why did you design the product in this way?” In your responses, you’ll need to explain the thought process behind each decision, making references to the user. Hard-skill interview questions are used to determine your proficiency level, and you could be asked: “How have you used software programme X in your daily work?” The interviewer will also ask about your previous role, checking how well you work as part of a team and how you handle specific situations. Throughout the entire process, the interviewer will also likely be judging whether you’ll be a good cultural fit for the business, and may even ask you about how you spend your free time.

  Educational requirements

  Most Design jobs require a college or university degree. However, some employers rate the practical experiences demonstrated in the Designers’ portfolio as more important. It’s therefore crucial that Designers start building a portfolio as soon as possible, and keep copies of all the work they produce to show prospective employers when applying for jobs.