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Job outlook for die designer apprentices in the United States
Are die designer apprentice jobs in demand?
Die designer apprentice job and salary trends over time
Die designer apprentice jobs over time
Die designer apprentice job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 139 | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 138 | 0.00% |
| 2019 | 148 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 149 | 0.00% |
| 2017 | 148 | 0.00% |
Average die designer apprentice salary over time
Die designer apprentice salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $50,283 | $24.17 | +2.4% |
| 2024 | $49,087 | $23.60 | +3.5% |
| 2023 | $47,448 | $22.81 | +3.4% |
| 2022 | $45,875 | $22.06 | +2.2% |
| 2021 | $44,876 | $21.58 | +1.6% |
Die designer apprentice jobs by state
Most common states for die designer apprentices
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 209 | 30% |
| 2 | Washington | 7,405,743 | 836 | 11% |
| 3 | Oregon | 4,142,776 | 411 | 10% |
| 4 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 623 | 9% |
| 5 | Virginia | 8,470,020 | 717 | 8% |
| 6 | Utah | 3,101,833 | 238 | 8% |
| 7 | California | 39,536,653 | 2,960 | 7% |
| 8 | Georgia | 10,429,379 | 761 | 7% |
| 9 | Colorado | 5,607,154 | 412 | 7% |
| 10 | Wisconsin | 5,795,483 | 406 | 7% |
| 11 | Iowa | 3,145,711 | 206 | 7% |
| 12 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 89 | 7% |
| 13 | New York | 19,849,399 | 1,151 | 6% |
| 14 | Illinois | 12,802,023 | 774 | 6% |
| 15 | Minnesota | 5,576,606 | 361 | 6% |
| 16 | Maryland | 6,052,177 | 345 | 6% |
| 17 | Connecticut | 3,588,184 | 220 | 6% |
| 18 | Maine | 1,335,907 | 76 | 6% |
| 19 | Rhode Island | 1,059,639 | 66 | 6% |
| 20 | Vermont | 623,657 | 35 | 6% |
Die Designer Apprentice job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of die designer apprentice experts
Eastern Illinois University
Middle Tennessee State University
Providence College
University of Utah
Saint Peter's University
Mansfield University of Pennsylvania
Samantha Osborne
Assistant Professor of Graphic Design, Owner, Samantha Osborne DesignEastern Illinois University
Art + Design
What soft skills should all Die Designer Apprentices possess?
Samantha Osborne: Three soft skills stand out most: an ability to see the big picture, an ability to "read" people, and an ability to make a convincing argument for your design solution(s).
i. An ability to see big picture: there are an infinite number of details in graphic design, whether you work in website design on the front or back end, or in print media with physical outputs. It's easy to get caught up on the details, especially when clients are making specific demands about things such as paper type. A skilled designer must be able to see beyond the details and look at the big picture for an effective design solution. For example, a client may be asking for an invitation design for an up-coming event. A skilled designer will ask questions and dig in, eventually uncovering that perhaps for a successful event, the client also needs a splash page and social media, either in place of or in addition to an invitation. A skilled designer addresses design problems holistically, rather than minutely.
ii. An ability to "read" people: designers are trained in art-specific vocabulary. Hue, saturation, pixels, gestalt...most non-art folks don't use or speak that language. When clients are describing their goals, they aren't using art-vocabulary. It's a designer's job to translate what the client is saying into an advanced and effective creative solution. They must be able to speak and understand the language of non-creative folks, as well as the language of the broader creative industry.
iii. An ability to make a convincing argument for your design solution(s): many young and inexperienced designer tend to get their hearts broken when a client smashes one of their [very well thought-out] ideas. Rather than rolling over, a designer must learn to navigate how best to build support for their idea(s). That might mean in some instances you work more fluidly with the client throughout the design process, so that they feel they have ownership in the development of the solution. In other instances it might mean that the designer is presenting options, rather than a single solution, so that the client feels empowered to make choices throughout the design process. And in some instances, it might be a matter of better explaining and presenting your idea to a client; perhaps the designer needs to push back more, perhaps they need to provide more research as to why their solution is best, or maybe they simply need to present it with more excitement and enthusiasm.
Noel Lorson
Associate Professor - director of Graphic DesignMiddle Tennessee State University
Department of Art and Design
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Die Designer Apprentice job market given the pandemic?
Noel Lorson: Creative agencies-in-house through big advertising firms, will hire on a short-term contract basis. The emails that I receive requesting recent graduates and alumni back this up. Companies are hesitant to hire full-time, which is understandable, but work is picking up and they need assistance.
How have salaries changed over time for Die Designer Apprentices?
Noel Lorson: I have been in the field for 25+ years so I have seen quite a bit of change. The biggest has been with the addition of Interactive Design. They make the bigger bucks. I lean towards print design, problem solving and ideation, so it baffles me why a genius idea that is carried out in print is not often given as much funding.
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Die Designer Apprentice job market given the pandemic?
Eric Sung: There are some expected trend changes, and some were already in place but expedited by COVID-19. In the near future, in general, it certainly will be more challenging to find ideal jobs for all. The job market is driven by the market itself and with having a great pause caused by the pandemic resulted hire freeze for months. Of course, this is a generalized and simplified statement with multiple exceptions but in general, this would be an accurate observation. Now that the job market is slowly settling, it will improve but that does not necessarily mean that there will be more jobs created to catch up time of 'pause'. For the meanwhile, about the same number of college students graduated in the May of 2020 compared to the previous years and about the equal number of students are graduating in 3 months. The new wave of job seeks out of college and the ones who were recently released from their previous employment are all in the job market that already is bottlenecked.
For the process of interview, there will be greater interest for remote interviews by both job seekers and companies. Due to its benefits related to cost and time efficiency for the company looking to hire and job seekers, it will be the new normal for the interview process. However, with recognized lacking elements of remote interviews in general, both for the algorithm-based services and video conference call with an hiring agent, the trend will be to hire generously first with 'probational period' to evaluate the ones' performance based on real-world tasks.
Another notable trend in the job market would be transition from hard asset-based hiring to experience or performance-based hiring. In the time of uncertainty, hiring someone solely based on certificate or diploma creates a greater risk for companies so job seeker with relevant experience with proven performance would be preferred.
In terms of the trend change for the kinds of jobs, it will take a long time for Job market in the tourism industry, transportation, restaurant, apparel, and beauty to come back to pre-COVID. But the job market for IT will continue to be strong certainly for awhile. Pandemic presented some profound challenges for us which obligated the market to address deeply foundational questions. What became clear from the recent experience is that the current job market model needs to change from the deeper level and the interdisciplinary as much as meaningful innovation are required for us to sustain. It will take at least a few years for this to be translated in the job market but it would be important for the potential future job seeks to know how the market will change in the coming years and how this change might be expedited caused by the pandemic.
Covid influenced the job seekers' interests as much as it did for job market. In the past, salary has been singularly the most dominating factor for job seekers for their search but now, more are interested in the quality of life, exposure to health risk, and possibility of alternative working method such as working remotely for the obvious reasons.
What soft skills should all Die Designer Apprentices possess?
Eric Sung: Hard assets may assist job seekers to get one hired but soft skills are immensely critical for one to excel after once hired. Multiple studies confirm that higher ranking positions require increased portion of soft skills compared to hard or technical skills.
Considering the market trend change during and past COVID, where more jobs will require specialized skills with less human interaction, the needs of having someone with communication skills, conflict resolution and mediation skills, negotiation skills would be far more preferred. Knowing that large part of what some of the current jobs require us to do eventually will be assisted or entirely replaced by AI, the skills that may be unique to humans will gradually became more important. Other critical soft skills would be adaptability, foundational problem-solving skills with diversified perspective on matters. and relatability to the other thoughts.
How have salaries changed over time for Die Designer Apprentices?
Eric Sung: Since my job and how I train my college students are not directly related to one specific occupation, it is rather difficult for me to present a pin-point answer for this question. However, I see that salaries in general are being more polarized. Entry-level jobs' starting salary changed to downward while management or higher ranking position salary have been increased in the recent years.
What certifications/licenses/courses can have the biggest impact for Die Designer Apprentices?
Sonia Albert Sobrino: Understanding how collaborative endeavors take off and focusing on entrepreneurship is fundamental. Any course, certificate or training that helps young filmmakers and visual artists understand the process of creation from a collaborative standpoint is going to be most rewarding. We are at the height of independent creation, recent graduates have the tools and knowledge to make, they just have to use those instruments to identify needs and satisfy them. In film, specializing in cinematography, be that, earlier on, through lighting or camera work; or on editing and graphic design can help proficient artists start joint successful endeavors and/or increase their hiring potential. Furthermore, interdisciplinary opportunities that put together specialized forces from different, but relating fields, will quite likely better their job prospects. Working together, expanding and adding on individual strengths is the answer.
How have salaries changed over time for Die Designer Apprentices?
James Adler: Absolutely! When I started out, fees were higher than they are today. Why? There is more competition. Also, grants -- national, local, and from individual sponsors or underwriters -- are more difficult to come by for the concert or "gig" presenter. So artists' and performers' fees may be out of the producer's or presenter's own pocket. Hall or rehearsal space rental is more expensive, now. On-site recording engineers are more expensive.
For songwriters, lyricists, composers, royalties will likely not be able to pay the rent. Certainly, not at first. So it's a good idea to have that back-up career, some way to make money. It will help support the dream, and provide that solid base.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Die Designer Apprentices?
Michelle Lockwood: Oh, yes! There will be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on graduates, and all of us. It has already changed so much about how we interact, do business, socialize, learn, love, and just plain live. There is no way that it could not impact the future of this field, or any area, in my opinion. I think the job market will look very different in the months and years to come. We will adapt, and there will be more opportunities for creativity, more problems to solve, and more chances to engage and inform. But those practicing will need to remain flexible, adapt gracefully to changing circumstances, and find pockets where they can solve problems, and use their unique skillset to illuminate, inform, and delight -- just as we have always done -- only differently.