What is a senior designer and how to become one

Q: How do you get promoted to senior designer?

To get promoted to a senior designer position takes putting yourself out there, building your work portfolio, and going the extra mile. As many designers will tell you, there is no linear path towards becoming a senior designer.

Q: How many years of experience do you need to become a senior designer?

It takes 5 to 8 years of experience to become a senior designer. Most senior designers work their way up into that role after several years of work experience. To begin your career as a senior designer, you'll have to start from the bottom in a junior design position. The common responsibilities of a junior designer are to create layouts, redraw logos, correct typography, and create overall mock-ups of designs.

Q: What do you need to be a senior designer?

You need the right educational background, extensive work portfolio, and several years of work experience to become a senior designer. Most senior designers have a bachelor's degree and design or related fields. From there, prospective senior designers will need to put in at least five to eight years working as a designer. Usually, this is the time it takes to advance from a junior designer position into a mid-level designer and finally to a senior designer position.

Q: What is the difference between a graphic designer and a senior graphic designer?

The difference between a graphic designer and a senior graphic designer comes down to experience and the rules and responsibilities of the position. These differences can be reflected in their craft, communication, planning, and problem-solving abilities.

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted expert

Michelle Lockwood

A senior designer has extensive experience in the design industry and has reached a high level of expertise in their field. A senior designer takes on a strategic role in the design process, working with clients to understand their needs and then developing creative solutions to meet those goals. They oversee the entire design process, ensuring that the end product meets expectations. A senior designer also mentors junior designers, sharing their knowledge and expertise.

What general advice would you give to a senior designer?

Michelle Lockwood

Associate Professor, Graphic Design Art, Mansfield University of Pennsylvania

Flexibility, adaptability, and problem-solving. I would say that these three characteristics will be essential to all recent and upcoming graduates' survival and success, obtaining degrees in design and applied arts. Flexibility is their willingness to look at all situations, projects, and job opportunities through a lens that considers multiple approaches, solutions, and out-of-the-box thinking. Adaptability -- in their understanding that the ground beneath them will continuously change, and they need to move with that change and balance themselves amid a career, which will likely look nothing like it does today, a year, or two years from now. Problem-solving -- in their use of intelligence and intuition to look carefully, listen actively, and continuously learn about the tools, technologies, and issues from which their projects and areas of focus will arise.

ScoreSenior DesignerUS Average

Salary

7.7

Avg. Salary $102,058

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 28.99%

male 71.01%

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

What are the pros and cons of being a senior designer?

Pros

High level of creative autonomy
Access to senior-level decision makers
High earning potential
Opportunity to establish a personal brand and reputation
Constantly learning and growing as a designer

Cons

High levels of stress and pressure
Long hours and tight deadlines
Balancing creative freedom with business goals
Criticism of work can be difficult to handle
Can be difficult to find work-life balance

Key steps to become a senior designer

Explore senior designer education requirements

Most common senior designer degrees

Bachelor's

66.8 %

Associate

21.8 %

Master's

6.5 %

Start to develop specific senior designer skills

Skills	Percentages
Sketch	15.17%
Graphic Design	5.42%
Human Centered Design	4.27%
User Experience	4.03%
UI	3.94%

Complete relevant senior designer training and internships

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

Gain additional senior designer certifications

Senior designer certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific senior designer certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for senior designers include Engineer In Training Certification (EIT) and Certified Interior Designer (NCIDQ).

More About Certifications

Research senior designer duties and responsibilities

Identify, plan and lead brainstorming sessions for new blue-sky product opportunities across all boys' lines.
Design all marketing collateral within those standards including flyers, ads, conference materials, brochures, and design mailed pieces.
Implement HTML and CSS tags.
Format designs and media for use in print and web applications; deliver production-ready graphics in HTML and CSS.

Get senior designer experience

Generally, it takes 6-12 months to become a senior designer. The most common roles before becoming a senior designer include designer, graphic designer team lead and art director.

Prepare your senior designer resume

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

Build a professional senior 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 senior designer resume.