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What is a media designer and how to become one

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

Media designers are responsible for maintaining and creating marketing materials based on guidance from team members in advertising, product development, sales, promotions, or other departments within a company. They convey the image of a given company using graphics, design, video, or sound to draw in users or customers. They also handle aspects of billing, track expenses, and manages other artists to complete large jobs.

Media designers earn an average salary of $51,000 annually or $24 per hour. Some of their duties include combining text, audio, animation, photography, and video to create informational and impactful content. They employ create innovative marketing campaigns designed to entice the digital natives and conduct thorough research to create accurate animations. They also perform edits based on feedback from stakeholders and meet with project stakeholders to decide upon the creative direction of a given project.

Media designers typically hold a bachelor's degree in computer graphics, animation, fine art, or other related fields. They are expected to learn how to use various types of software, the principles of design, and typography. Some employers prefer candidates with the ability to use a variety of tools, including photoshop, illustrator, and InDesign.

What general advice would you give to a media 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.
ScoreMedia DesignerUS Average
Salary
4.2

Avg. Salary $54,018

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 33.37%

male 66.63%

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

Media designer career paths

Key steps to become a media designer

  1. Explore media designer education requirements

    Most common media designer degrees

    Bachelor's

    68.5 %

    Associate

    18.3 %

    Master's

    8.0 %
  2. Start to develop specific media designer skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Graphic Design8.98%
    Animation8.56%
    Motion Graphics5.68%
    Video Production5.25%
    JavaScript5.02%
  3. Complete relevant media designer training and internships

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

    • Manage and develop a stream line Intranet site for better communication purposes and quicker access to documents and company information
    • Create and design an online asset management tool using CSS, PHP, and MySQL.
    • Create UI design elements for the simulation.
    • Design web graphics for social media platforms, such as Facebook.
  5. Prepare your media designer resume

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

    Build a professional media 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 media designer resume.
    Media Designer Resume
    Media Designer Resume
    Media Designer Resume
    Media Designer Resume
    Media Designer Resume
    Media Designer Resume
    Media Designer Resume
    Media Designer Resume
    Media Designer Resume
  6. Apply for media designer jobs

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

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Average media designer salary

The average media designer salary in the United States is $54,018 per year or $26 per hour. Media designer salaries range between $39,000 and $73,000 per year.

Average media designer salary
$54,018 Yearly
$25.97 hourly

What am I worth?

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How do media designers rate their job?

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Media 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 Sep 2019
Pros

The ability to communicate with letters and images for to me its the loudess means of communication.

Cons

I dislike being un-informed or not being informed on time, For information and time is a essential to me. My time is precious.


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Jun 2019
Cons

Technical Issues


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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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