Career
Graphic designers
Make ideas visible through type, image and layout.
Here's what you actually need to know.
The work
What people in this job do
- Key information into computer equipment to create layouts for client or supervisor.
- Review final layouts and suggest improvements, as needed.
- Determine size and arrangement of illustrative material and copy, and select style and size of type.
- Develop graphics and layouts for product illustrations, company logos, and Web sites.
- Create designs, concepts, and sample layouts, based on knowledge of layout principles and esthetic design concepts.
The outlook
How the forecast changed this year
AI
BLS now cites artificial intelligence in this occupation's outlook: “share decreases as new technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI), replace some workers and make other workers more efficient.”
The deeper question
What kind of person does this path ask you to become?
What this work centers on
O*NET interest profile, scored 1–7.
The work
Do you want most of your days spent on creation & expression, then information & systems?
Responsibility
Are you willing to be the one responsible for this?
“Key information into computer equipment to create layouts for client or supervisor.”
Development
What would you need to build over the next 5–10 years?
Active Listening, Speaking, Writing, Active Learning.
Trade-offs
What does it ask of you in exchange?
4 years of education after high school (bachelor's degree), for a median of $62,960 a year and 16,000 openings nationally each year.
Paths in
Degrees that lead here
- Design and Applied ArtsSee the degree →
- Web Page, Digital/Multimedia and Information Resources DesignCIP 11.0801
- Computer GraphicsCIP 11.0803
- Digital ArtsCIP 50.0102
- Design and Visual Communications, GeneralCIP 50.0401
- Commercial and Advertising ArtCIP 50.0402
Paths across
Careers that use similar skills
- Special Effects Artists and Animators$102,030 · -0.3%
- Art Directors$114,850 · +4.2%
- Web and Digital Interface Designers$104,000 · +6.0%
- Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators$55,490 · -2.9%
- Desktop Publishers$55,290 · -14.5%
Ask anything about this career.
“Would this make sense if I don't want to sit at a desk all day?” Answers will come from the sources on this page, with citations. Coming soon.
Not sure this fits who you are? Start with Vocational Finder →
Sources
- BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- BLS Employment Projections, 2024–34 (archived), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- O*NET 31.0 Database (August 2026), National Center for O*NET Development / U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk, NCES and BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-01.