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What is a creative designer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
Quoted expert
Dr. Sarah Satterfield Ph.D.

A creative designer is a broad designation that encompasses creative professions across multiple industries. For example, it could refer to a graphic designer or fashion designer at a clothing brand. Creative designers could also be artists or photographers who create strong visuals for a marketing campaign.

In marketing, a creative designer's job is to produce and design innovative concepts. He/She may generate ideas from scratch or work with other marketing team members to develop what works. If the concept is to be printed, creative designers may also have to coordinate with vendors to ensure the final product meets standards.

To become a creative designer, you need a relevant educational background. That may be a degree in graphic design or photography. Creative designers also need a lot of internship/apprenticeship experience to land bigger roles. Necessary skills include software proficiency, creativity, and an understanding of current trends.

What general advice would you give to a creative designer?

Dr. Sarah Satterfield Ph.D.

Department Chair Visual and Performing Arts, Professor of Music and Humanities, College of Central Florida

I was once told, if you do what you love, you will never "work" a day in your life. I have found this true in my own career and hope our VPA graduates will find it true in theirs as well. The arts offer such a unique means of engaging and we, as arts educators, have an ability to "reach" those we have contact with, in a unique way.
ScoreCreative DesignerUS Average
Salary
5.5

Avg. Salary $69,771

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 48.78%

male 51.22%

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

Creative designer career paths

Key steps to become a creative designer

  1. Explore creative designer education requirements

    Most common creative designer degrees

    Bachelor's

    72.1 %

    Associate

    15.7 %

    Master's

    6.5 %
  2. Start to develop specific creative designer skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Sketch14.56%
    Graphic Design9.16%
    Adobe Creative Suite5.35%
    Design Concepts5.00%
    CSS3.86%
  3. Complete relevant creative designer training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New creative 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 a creative designer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real creative designer resumes.
  4. Research creative designer duties and responsibilities

    • Manage website redesign including copywriting and updating all website content.
    • Design functional and effective website with wide knowledge of UI design, HTML.
    • Implement PHP and JavaScript to make sites dynamic to deliver the best user experience.
    • Design of large scale posters.
  5. Prepare your creative designer resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your creative 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 a creative 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 creative designer resume templates

    Build a professional creative 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 creative designer resume.
    Creative Designer Resume
    Creative Designer Resume
    Creative Designer Resume
    Creative Designer Resume
    Creative Designer Resume
    Creative Designer Resume
    Creative Designer Resume
    Creative Designer Resume
    Creative Designer Resume
  6. Apply for creative designer jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a creative 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 creative designer job

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Are you a creative designer?

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Average creative designer salary

The average creative designer salary in the United States is $69,771 per year or $34 per hour. Creative designer salaries range between $48,000 and $101,000 per year.

Average creative designer salary
$69,771 Yearly
$33.54 hourly

What am I worth?

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How do creative designers rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

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3 stars

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Creative 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 Jul 2020
Cons

Interference in mid of work.

Pros

Creativity, Innovation, Intact Brand Integrity through Brand Guidelines


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A zippia user wrote a review on May 2020
Pros

What I like most about a designer is doing work with Fonts designing projects designing

Cons

Let there be thousands of graphic designers


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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.

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