Post job

What is an associate graphic designer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
3 min read
Quoted expert
Saskia Van Kampen

Associate graphics designers are entry-level designers. Your duties include designing and developing graphics to create appealing and informative content for a visual. To do this, you will need to analyze the target audience and how they will interpret the graphical representation, develop the layout for graphic design, and execute the design. You will also need to communicate with the clients to understand what changes they would like in the design and go ahead to make the changes. You may be asked to assist senior graphic designers in fulfilling orders or tasks. You may also assist in creating drafts, rendering finished products, and reviewing orders.

You should have a bachelor's degree in graphics design, fine arts, or design and visual communication to be an associate graphics designer, and you should be creative and innovative. You must also be trainable and willing to learn. Your annual salary is an average of $48,666.

What general advice would you give to an associate graphic designer?

Saskia Van KampenSaskia Van Kampen LinkedIn profile

Associate Professor, San Francisco State University

On a day-to-day basis a newly hired graphic designer must engage in any number of stages of the design process (research, ideation, iterating, testing, refinement, and/or finalization) - this is not a linear process. On top of this they may be asked to interact with clients and with colleagues (collaborating and critically engaging with work being produced).
ScoreAssociate Graphic DesignerUS Average
Salary
4.1

Avg. Salary $52,393

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level
4.2

Growth rate 3%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity
4.5
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.37%

Asian 10.42%

Black or African American 3.42%

Hispanic or Latino 10.63%

Unknown 4.99%

White 70.17%

Gender

female 53.52%

male 46.48%

Age - 37
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 37
Stress level
4.2

Stress level is moderate

7.1 - high

Complexity level
8.5

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance
3.9

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Associate graphic designer career paths

Key steps to become an associate graphic designer

  1. Explore associate graphic designer education requirements

    Most common associate graphic designer degrees

    Bachelor's

    71.7 %

    Associate

    18.4 %

    High School Diploma

    4.9 %
  2. Start to develop specific associate graphic designer skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Graphic Design23.59%
    Adobe Creative Suite6.49%
    PowerPoint5.75%
    Photography5.62%
    Adobe Illustrator4.98%
  3. Complete relevant associate graphic designer training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New associate graphic designers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as an associate graphic designer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real associate graphic designer resumes.
  4. Research associate graphic designer duties and responsibilities

    • Manage an in-house advertisement/mailer for a vendor.
    • Design and print business cards, flyers, banners, booklets and other printing materials.
    • Create slide show presentations using PowerPoint.
    • Design print and web advertisements, twitter page, and iPhone wallpaper.
  5. Prepare your associate graphic designer resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your associate graphic designer resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on an associate graphic designer resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose from 10+ customizable associate graphic designer resume templates

    Build a professional associate graphic designer resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your associate graphic designer resume.
    Associate Graphic Designer Resume
    Associate Graphic Designer Resume
    Associate Graphic Designer Resume
    Associate Graphic Designer Resume
    Associate Graphic Designer Resume
    Associate Graphic Designer Resume
    Associate Graphic Designer Resume
    Associate Graphic Designer Resume
    Associate Graphic Designer Resume
  6. Apply for associate graphic designer jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for an associate graphic designer job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How did you land your first associate graphic designer job

Zippi

Are you an associate graphic designer?

Share your story for a free salary report.

Average associate graphic designer salary

The average associate graphic designer salary in the United States is $52,393 per year or $25 per hour. Associate graphic designer salaries range between $37,000 and $73,000 per year.

Average associate graphic designer salary
$52,393 Yearly
$25.19 hourly

What am I worth?

salary-calculator

How do associate graphic designers rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Associate graphic designer reviews

profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Jul 2022
Pros

There is so much to like about working as Graphic Designer ... the seeing how all the elements of words, space, colors, visuals (photos, graphics, charts,...) come together on a page...sharing info with others to learn and use

Cons

When working with others who can not make up their minds as deadline approaches nor take responsibility and blames others for their own "misdoings".


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Dec 2019
Pros

Working in the production/preflight realm of work is great because I am able to execute the concept that the designer comes up with. I have a very technical role that requires a lot of attention to detail, which is something I enjoy. Also, the competition is stiffer considering most designers are not trained to do production work


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Dec 2019
Pros

I generally like what I do because what I do is from my own effort and I like to do something that even others would mind to know how it's done and that's why I usually keep on having more designs

Cons

I usually don't like impatient people and those u quickly judge what I do having not seen the results


Working as an associate graphic designer? Share your experience anonymously.
Overall rating*
Career growth
Work/Life balance
Pay/Salary

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Browse arts, entertainment, sports, and media jobs