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Job outlook for graphics coordinators in the United States
Are graphics coordinator jobs in demand?
Graphics coordinator job and salary trends over time
Graphics coordinator jobs over time
Graphics coordinator job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 827 | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 817 | 0.00% |
| 2019 | 876 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 883 | 0.00% |
| 2017 | 881 | 0.00% |
Average graphics coordinator salary over time
Graphics coordinator salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $50,252 | $24.16 | +2.4% |
| 2024 | $49,056 | $23.58 | +3.5% |
| 2023 | $47,418 | $22.80 | +3.4% |
| 2022 | $45,846 | $22.04 | +2.2% |
| 2021 | $44,848 | $21.56 | +1.6% |
Graphics coordinator jobs by state
Most common states for graphics coordinators
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vermont | 623,657 | 155 | 25% |
| 2 | Rhode Island | 1,059,639 | 235 | 22% |
| 3 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 155 | 22% |
| 4 | Delaware | 961,939 | 201 | 21% |
| 5 | Wyoming | 579,315 | 113 | 20% |
| 6 | Maine | 1,335,907 | 227 | 17% |
| 7 | North Dakota | 755,393 | 126 | 17% |
| 8 | New Mexico | 2,088,070 | 287 | 14% |
| 9 | West Virginia | 1,815,857 | 248 | 14% |
| 10 | South Dakota | 869,666 | 119 | 14% |
| 11 | Alabama | 4,874,747 | 566 | 12% |
| 12 | Idaho | 1,716,943 | 213 | 12% |
| 13 | Oklahoma | 3,930,864 | 421 | 11% |
| 14 | Washington | 7,405,743 | 638 | 9% |
| 15 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 575 | 8% |
| 16 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 113 | 8% |
| 17 | Oregon | 4,142,776 | 290 | 7% |
| 18 | California | 39,536,653 | 2,253 | 6% |
| 19 | Virginia | 8,470,020 | 513 | 6% |
| 20 | Connecticut | 3,588,184 | 199 | 6% |
Most common cities for graphics coordinators
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Los Angeles | 1 | 0% | $61,729 |
Graphics Coordinator job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of graphics coordinator experts
Arcadia University
Pennsylvania College of Technology
University of Akron
Kean University
Louisiana State University at Shreveport
Merrimack College
University of Northern Iowa
Highline College
Texas State University
Belmont University
Eastern Illinois University
Albion College
California State University - Stanislaus
Kansas City Art Institute
University of Oklahoma
University of Findlay
YKMD Visual Communication
Fashion Institute of Technology, SUNY
Southeast Missouri State University
What Graphics Coordinator skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Tiffany Prater: Never stop learning because life never stops teaching. This quote by Kirill Korshikov rings true for new designers, who must know the latest trends and tools to be uniquely creative, improve their skills, and land a better design job. Knowledge and inspiration can come from anywhere and everywhere in our daily lives.
What general advice would you give to a Graphics Coordinator?
Christian Patchell: There is a ton of opportunity and burgeoning markets opening up every day. We discuss this in my classes. The landscape of the arts changes at a faster pace than ever, but change doesn’t happen in a vacuum. With each new evolution there comes new opportunities. For example, many of my students find themselves interested in UX/UI. This is an area with a lot of opportunity for a new Designer but only if there is a passion for the Market. Even though this is a field first identified in the early 90s, I’d say that in the last decade or so it really has hit the Design World hard. This doesn’t mean that designing for print has to take a back seat. Print is more popular than ever in terms of designing and creating objects (books, packaging, etc.) that many of us refer to as art objects, interactive objects, or objects of influence. Telling a good story through the design of an object is pushing Graphic Design into wonderful areas and is really starting to connect with audiences on entirely new levels. Don’t let the articles listing the “Top 10 Majors at Universities” or the “25 Most Popular Jobs” fool you, Art and Design are more relevant and more important than ever before.
What general advice would you give to a Graphics Coordinator?
Kathryn Anderson: Some of the day-to-day duties of a graphic designer entail some basic skills such as the following: listen attentively; engage in and interpret research (visual, text-driven, data-based, etc.); problem-solve; process and critique creative ideas; use technology in an ethical and appropriate manner; prepare digital and other work/files for printing and/or the web; and revamp concepts as per the client’s wishes.
What Graphics Coordinator skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Kathryn Anderson: A Graphic Designer’s work-life is rather sedentary and repetitive. However, any astute employer will encourage a bit of exercise and play throughout the course of the day to keep their team focused and happy. Other downsides might be: fast deadlines or short turn-arounds, insufficient communication from a client, and mandatory overtime hours. Mostly, the benefits out-weight the negatives. In today’s virtual world, more designers can and do work remotely or in hybrid environments—which is a plus for those who have child-care or other familial responsibilities.
What general advice would you give to a Graphics Coordinator?
David Flynn: Everything that you see has been touched by a designer. The field is expanding with technology, but basic communication design principals remain paramount. It doesn’t matter if it’s a newspaper ad or a social post, you must have a professional that knows how to communicate a message, move the viewer's eye, and make the point. Designers work in every company and in every industry, worldwide.
What Graphics Coordinator skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
David Flynn: They like that it can be very lucrative, so rewarding when you see your work in the world, nothing like it really. Downside is that “creativity on demand” is difficult to sustain and you have to purpose to take care of your creative soul.
What will help Graphics Coordinators increase their earning potential?
David Flynn: We spend our day creating items that need to communicate a message clearly and quickly to a person or public. Information, directions, product benefits, packaging, events, advertising, anything and everything is designed to inform.
What Graphics Coordinator skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Dr. Denise Anderson: The skills graphic designers will need is learn artificial intelligence software AND how to masterfully use it. The masses will tinker with the new technology but designers need to harness the power of it and use their learned skills of ideation, art direction, and image manipulation skills (Photoshop). What they also need to develop is their storytelling skills which will help them with art directing and creating AI images.
What will help Graphics Coordinators increase their earning potential?
Dr. Denise Anderson: Similar to question 1, leverage what you have done prior to entering the field. It takes my students 6-8 weeks to complete their resumes and personal because the image and content needs to be authentic. Perception is a lot in our field and I train students to feel confident about themselves. Portfolios get students an interview but they need to communicate their value to get hired.
What Graphics Coordinator skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Allen Garcie MFA: One way that a new graduate can maximize their earning potential is by gaining professional experience as soon as possible. Freelance work is a great way to do this! Another way is for a new graduate to work towards earning a field-specific professional certificate (For example, both the American Institute for Graphic Arts [AIGA] and the American Marketing Association [AMA] offer these.), a software-related certification (Adobe and Autodesk offer these.), or an advanced degree (Such as an MA or MFA.). While gaining employment in the design field is primarily related to your portfolio and related experience, additional credentials can still make you more competitive.
What will help Graphics Coordinators increase their earning potential?
Nancy Wynn: There are many different ways to intersect the creative field of graphic design or Design. You can enter utilizing production skills centered on working with an Art Director-you produce their designs with various handwork and software platforms. If you enter as a junior graphic designer-you collaborate with an Art Director and brainstorm concepts / designs for projects. You may intersect working in the service industry where you help customers produce their designs. Day-to-day tasks can be specific if you work at a very large company, or more comprehensive if you work at a smaller agency. They can range from meetings with Art Directors or marketing people; collaboration with fellow designers or other team members based on the project components; brainstorming, research, and ideation for projects; learning new technology by producing designs and client presentations; meetings with focus groups or testing of projects; and finally debrief sessions on projects results.
Elizabeth Sutton
Department Head, Professor of Art HistoryUniversity of Northern Iowa
Department of Art
What soft skills should all Graphics Coordinators possess?
Elizabeth Sutton: There are many--the ability to collaborate and communicate effectively is absolutely necessary. The ability to ask for feedback and be able to take that feedback and incorporate it into a process is very important. Of course, meeting deadlines is also very important.
What soft skills should all Graphics Coordinators possess?
Diana Boyd: -Collaboration/Teamwork
-Interpersonal
-Reliability
-Ethical behavior
-Self-starter
Holly Sterling
Associate Professor of Communication Design, Internship CoordinatorTexas State University
School of Art and Design
What soft skills should all Graphics Coordinators possess?
Holly Sterling: - Strong communication and problem-solving skills - not only in your design work but in your day-to-day job.
- Being able to work collaboratively and be a responsible team member (i.e., productive, organized, respond positively to feedback, adaptable).
Doug Regen
Professor of PracticeBelmont University
Graphic Design Department
What skills will help Graphics Coordinators earn the most?
Doug Regen: Brilliant Ideas are executed flawlessly. Team player. Ability to motivate and lead others. Strong communicator and presentation skills.
Samantha Osborne
Assistant Professor of Graphic Design, Owner, Samantha Osborne DesignEastern Illinois University
Art + Design
What skills will help Graphics Coordinators earn the most?
Samantha Osborne: An ability to effectively communicate, navigate creative resources, network, empathize with others, and come up with innovative creative solutions. That said, your work still needs to be stellar and consistently great if you're going to be a big earner.
What skills stand out on Graphics Coordinator resumes?
Samantha Osborne: Soft skills are equally important to hard skills. Graphic designers are visual communicators. Visual communication is a universal learned skill, vs. a linguistic capability. This means that graphic designers must learn to recognize and effectively utilize mood and tone in their own visual compositions in regard to color theory and psychology, gestalt principles, and font or lettering design. Essentially a well-skilled graphic designer becomes part psychologist in working through design problems and deciphering client direction, part problem-solver in developing an effective solution to the design problem, and part artist in bringing astonishing and original visual communication and graphics to reach a solution.
What soft skills should all Graphics Coordinators 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.
David Abbott
ChairAlbion College
Department of Music
What technical skills for a Graphics Coordinator stand out to employers?
David Abbott: Skills in technology will primarily be more important than ever as we transition not only into more virtual learning but also even after the pandemic, I think virtual learning will still remain somewhat just as I have little doubt that across education as well as in many business settings, virtual meetings will slowly begin to become the norm. I regret this as I feel it ultimately (llike with the iphone texting, etc.) will contribute to a great social isolation that will ultimately have a pejorative effect on how we learn and interact as individuals.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Graphics Coordinators?
John Ferry: I believe so - how can we have something this significant happen and not have it affect our lives in a noticeable way. I actually think there are advantages to having this happen . . . If you look for the positives you'll find them . . . if you look for the negatives you'll find them . . . I can't speculate on what that impact will be - but, we'll all be impacted, Professors and Students. At the very least we are all a lot more familiar with how to navigate virtual meetings.
What general advice would you give to a Graphics Coordinator?
Tess Elliot: Stay true to yourself. Be patient and have confidence in yourself and your work. Artists early in their careers often don't make money from their work. This is okay. Find a way to support yourself while continuing to make and share your work and things will fall into place. Seek out that unique path to career fulfillment.
What Graphics Coordinator skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Anne Beekman: Designers with a broad range of skills- technology, creativity, and communication-with a strong aesthetic will continue to find jobs.
What type of skills will young Graphics Coordinators need?
Yanique DaCosta: Young design graduates need to have three simple things: portfolio diversity, critical thinking skills, and humility.
A diverse portfolio of various deliverables (print, web, interactive, experiential, etc.) Will give any recent grad a bigger opportunity to break into the market as a professional. Unlike seasoned professionals, recent grads have not had the opportunity to find their design "voice" or identify their niche. It's best to show a range of styles and deliverables until you have enough professional work experience to discern your path forward.
Critical thinking skills, often referred to as design thinking, is an integral part of elevating the design profession as well as building your reputation within it. The design thinking process consists of observation, empathy, problem formulation, solution deduction, testing, alteration, and reiteration. You must be able to use these skills to create design solutions, so your colleagues understand you are not the "pretty color" "Photoshop fixer" person, but an informed research-based problem solver. In implementing design thinking, new grads must seek to understand how their design solutions affect; environmental sustainability, social equity, cultural diversity, inclusivity, public safety, and accessibility.
Even with a great portfolio, supported by detailed design justifications, there is no room for designers that lack humility. We do not design for ourselves; we create to solve problems for those around us. We must be able to remove our feelings about ourselves and create from a human-centric place. Without this, a new grad may find themselves frustrated before they have even started to run the first race.
Carmita Sanchez-Fong
Professor and ChairpersonFashion Institute of Technology, SUNY
Interior Design Department
What Graphics Coordinator skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Carmita Sanchez-Fong: Sketch, sketch, sketch, and work on your portfolio. Use the many resources at FIT to stay current with technology, including 3d printing, laser cutting, and virtual reality. Volunteer with one of the professional organizations, attend virtual conferences, enter a competition, develop your personal/professional profile, and become familiar with digital material resources. Work on your research and presentation skills. Create a well-organized digital library of your 2d and 3d assets. Prepare yourself to go back. Take some masterclasses. Volunteer as a virtual artist-in-residence at a local school. Be creative, remain engaged.
Louise Bodenheimer
Professor of Graphic Design/IllustrationSoutheast Missouri State University
Fine Arts
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Graphics Coordinators?
Louise Bodenheimer: I sensed a real concern in graduates during the initial phase of the pandemic and before they graduated. There were, and still are, a lot of unknowns. My communication with students was online during quarantine, and all of their projects, final portfolios, and any additional learning of software, conceptual development, etc. were online. It was not the ideal teaching and learning set up, but the students were stalwart in their studies and became more determined. Some lost motivation, but with some encouragement, they came back around. The pandemic has pushed a lot to online in many areas. Designers have worked in the digital realm for several years, creating work digitally and transferring them to clients for dissemination. I think it has motivated graduates to get creative in making themselves visible to the profession. The main thing is not to give up. Even if the pandemic "ends," the skills and methods that the graduates have gained during this uncertain and challenging time will serve them effectively. They have lived through a historic and sobering chapter in their lives. Failure is evident in giving up because there is an opportunity out there, regardless of the pandemic's economic impact. The saying "Seek, and you shall find" still applies.