Creative

Creative brilliance can be hard to identify and even harder to harness. At Salt, we can spot the creative spark that will fire up your business. Traditionally, the best Creative talent has always gravitated towards agency businesses, however; recently there’s been a real transition into the importance of creative departments in large brands and Digital Products. Salt allows you to reach them all with extensive knowledge of the creative and digital market, and unparalleled networks across the industry’s top brands, products and agencies.

Select a category

Jobs: Creative

Job Industry: Creative

defaultCountryCode

Our client, a much-loved sports retailer, is looking for a Junior Product Designer to join their team. This is an exciting opportunity to grow your skills while shaping the user…

Cape Town

Permanent

defaultCountryCode

Are you a creative visionary with a passion for web design and a knack for leadership? My client, a dynamic agency working across a diverse range of industries, is looking…

Cape Town

Permanent

defaultCountryCode

Are you a Cape Town-based Product Designer with end-to-end design experience, ready to make an impact at an international company? If you thrive in start up or agency environments and…

Cape Town

Permanent

defaultCountryCode

We are looking for a Motion Graphics Designer with 3-5 years of experience to create visually compelling and engaging animations and graphics. You will work closely with our clients creative…

Johannesburg

Permanent

Opportunities to further your career within the Creative industry

Good news: The Creative industry has continually grown from strength to strength. Teams have noticeably grown in size and skills. With the demand for creative dramatically increasing, team size is having to mirror that, which means more available positions and headcount across brands and agencies.

With the digital, tech and software world taking over more traditional organisations, there has been a big shift and lift in digitally focused roles across UI, UX, CX, Product Design and Service Design. ‘Creative’ now spans across print, brand and digital in both contract and permanent basis.

Being a creative, you will always have an element of being hands-on, no matter your seniority. When you reach the ‘Manager” level, that doesn’t always typically mean people management, but project and strategy management.

Salary information and career progression

The Creative industry encompasses many disciplines, so average salaries can vary significantly. However, the data below gives you a good ballpark annual figure based upon the level of experience:

Typical roles - DesignAnnual salary levels (RSA)
Creative DirectorR 600K - R 840K
Head of DesignR 600K - R 720
Senior Art DirectorR 420K - R 600K
Art DirectorR 300K - R 420K
Senior Digital DesignerR 480K - R 600K
Digital DesignerR 240K - R 480K
Typical roles - UI/UX/ProductAnnual salary levels (RSA)
Lead/Head of UXR 840K - R 1,200K
Senior Product DesignerR 600K - R 840K
Senior UX DesignerR 600K - R 840K
Senior UI DesignerR 480K - R 600K
Product Designer R 420K - R 600K
UX DesignerR 420K - R 600K
UI DesignerR 360K - R 480K
Typical rolesAnnual salary levels (RSA)
Social Media Manager R 420K - R 540K
Content StrategistR 300K - R 420K
CopywriterR 240K - R 420K
Community ManagerR 180K - R 300K

Recent Changes

The creative working landscape is constantly influenced by innovations and new ways of thinking.  One result of this influence is that self-employment and freelancing are at the forefront of the creative market. More precisely, there are not many other industries in which the self-employment rate is as high as in the Creative industry. Particularly, a lot of young people prefer being portfolio workers and self-employed working as freelancers or consultants.

  • Future Prospects

    Currently, it is prime time for Creative professionals with the right experience and skills as creative agencies have been growing, and companies have been investing more and more money in their creative departments. Recent noticeable changes in the market supports this trend, which will continue and that the demand for Creative Directors, UI, UX, & Product design experts will particularly increase over the next couple of years.

  • Salt’s advice for getting a job in the Creative industry

    Employers’ Requirements

    Since the Creative industries became more and more digitalised, it goes without saying that employers expect creative experts to be natives in everything that is digital. This might range from online distribution, website and customer journey optimisation, user experience practices and end-to-end UI of a mobile app to the creation of online banners. You will be expected to know your strengths; even an impressive hybrid UI/UX designer will be heavily weighted to one of those aspects. The continued growth of creative means roles and opportunities are becoming more specialised.

    CV Requirements

    In the creative world, CV translates to portfolio. A portfolio of your work is a must and typically, most hiring managers will look at a showcase of your previous work before reading a CV. It’s important to show off your greatest projects, so always keep this up to date.

    Creative Job Interview Preparation

    During an interview for a Creative role, interviewers tend to have a close look at the applicants’ portfolio and ask relevant questions about their work. Besides portfolio questions, they might also ask you the following in order to get to know you better:
    1. What was your favourite project and why?
    2. What technology tools do you use regularly?
    3. Could you please describe your design style.
    4. What is your opinion about our creative materials?

    5. Talk about your process and where you fit into the team.

    Educational Requirements

    A bachelor’s degree in a creative-related field, such as graphic design, television production, advertising, product design and publishing might be seen as advantageous by some employers. However, what really matters in the Creative industry is the professionals’ portfolio. An excellent portfolio is usually worth more than any degree, which is why creatives start working on their portfolios as soon as possible and rarely do a postgraduate degree.

Top Tip

"Network strategically by connecting with industry professionals on LinkedIn and attending events. Events offer opportunities to meet and learn from experts. Boost your visibility - engage in conversations and update your LinkedIn. Get in the room!"

— Kim Marais, Practice Lead

Speak with Kim Marais about Creative

Salt News


Top tips for job seekers: how to choose the best job recruitment agency in South Africa


Navigate the competitive job market with Salt, a trusted recruitment agency in South Africa connecting you to in-demand roles locally and globally. Unlock opportunities in Cape Town, Johannesburg, and beyond for a thriving career.


Read More

Leadership lessons in gratitude inspired by Thanksgiving


Thanksgiving in the USA is a time to reflect and provide gratitude and connection. So, what lessons can we take to extend these sentiments to the workplace? Using them to strengthen leadership and teams all year round?


Read More

How to hire successfully with recruitment agencies in South Africa


Discover how partnering with Salt, a specialist recruitment agency in South Africa, can optimise hiring and address skills shortages effectively.


Read More

How to build strong leaders


Our document introduces you to expert insights and interviews from around the world discussing how they factor in physical and mental well-being and how this is needed when leading a team.


Read More
×
ZA

Upload your CV

Upload your CV to our database.

  • Max. file size: 49 MB.
  • Hidden
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
UX/UI Designer

Please let us know where you are, or where you would like to be in the world so we can point you in the right direction.

Contact us

  • Max. file size: 49 MB.
  • Click here to find out more about Salt's Privacy Policy
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.