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Job outlook for senior interactive designers in the United States
Senior interactive designer job growth summary. After extensive research, interviews, and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
The projected senior interactive designer job growth rate is 3% from 2018-2028.
About 6,800 new jobs for senior interactive designers are projected over the next decade.
Senior interactive designer salaries have increased 12% for senior interactive designers in the last 5 years.
There are over 8,362 senior interactive designers currently employed in the United States.
There are 46,598 active senior interactive designer job openings in the US.
The average senior interactive designer salary is $115,989.
Are senior interactive designer jobs in demand?
Senior interactive designer job and salary trends over time
Senior interactive designer jobs over time
Senior interactive designer job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 8,362 | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 8,255 | 0.00% |
| 2019 | 8,849 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 8,865 | 0.00% |
| 2017 | 8,834 | 0.00% |
Average senior interactive designer salary over time
Senior interactive designer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $115,989 | $55.76 | +2.4% |
| 2024 | $113,229 | $54.44 | +3.5% |
| 2023 | $109,449 | $52.62 | +3.4% |
| 2022 | $105,820 | $50.87 | +2.2% |
| 2021 | $103,517 | $49.77 | +1.6% |
Senior interactive designer jobs by state
Most common states for senior interactive designers
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 221 | 32% |
| 2 | Washington | 7,405,743 | 843 | 11% |
| 3 | Oregon | 4,142,776 | 443 | 11% |
| 4 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 650 | 9% |
| 5 | California | 39,536,653 | 3,019 | 8% |
| 6 | Virginia | 8,470,020 | 700 | 8% |
| 7 | Georgia | 10,429,379 | 723 | 7% |
| 8 | Minnesota | 5,576,606 | 385 | 7% |
| 9 | Utah | 3,101,833 | 210 | 7% |
| 10 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 90 | 7% |
| 11 | Rhode Island | 1,059,639 | 70 | 7% |
| 12 | New York | 19,849,399 | 1,282 | 6% |
| 13 | Illinois | 12,802,023 | 713 | 6% |
| 14 | Maryland | 6,052,177 | 368 | 6% |
| 15 | Colorado | 5,607,154 | 331 | 6% |
| 16 | Delaware | 961,939 | 53 | 6% |
| 17 | Pennsylvania | 12,805,537 | 622 | 5% |
| 18 | Michigan | 9,962,311 | 459 | 5% |
| 19 | Wisconsin | 5,795,483 | 307 | 5% |
| 20 | Connecticut | 3,588,184 | 162 | 5% |
Most common cities for senior interactive designers
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Milford | 1 | 4% | $113,509 |
| 2 | Bethesda | 1 | 2% | $97,399 |
| 3 | San Bruno | 1 | 2% | $154,162 |
| 4 | Framingham | 1 | 1% | $113,557 |
| 5 | Mountain View | 1 | 1% | $153,861 |
| 6 | Chicago | 4 | 0% | $87,774 |
| 7 | Atlanta | 2 | 0% | $95,000 |
| 8 | Charlotte | 1 | 0% | $85,055 |
| 9 | Columbus | 1 | 0% | $84,464 |
| 10 | Denver | 1 | 0% | $97,463 |
| 11 | Detroit | 1 | 0% | $92,347 |
| 12 | Los Angeles | 1 | 0% | $140,249 |
| 13 | Miami | 1 | 0% | $77,205 |
| 14 | New York | 1 | 0% | $103,086 |
| 15 | Philadelphia | 1 | 0% | $105,961 |
| 16 | Phoenix | 1 | 0% | $110,138 |
| 17 | Richmond | 1 | 0% | $102,428 |
| 18 | San Francisco | 1 | 0% | $154,122 |
Senior Interactive Designer job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of senior interactive designer experts
Memphis College of Art
Boise State University
Pennsylvania College of Technology
University of Akron
Kean University
Louisiana State University at Shreveport
Arkansas State University
The Illinois Institute of Art-Schaumburg
Merrimack College
Louisiana Tech University
San Francisco State University
Columbia University in the City of New York
Louisiana Tech University
New York Institute of Technology
Texas Christian University
Foothill College
University of Northern Iowa
Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology
What Senior Interactive Designer 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 Senior Interactive Designer?
Lucas Charles: As graphic design graduates embark on their careers, nurturing curiosity, continuous upskilling, networking, and collaboration are pivotal. Embracing curiosity sparks innovation, while ongoing learning ensures relevance in a fast-paced industry. Building connections fosters opportunities, and collaboration cultivates dynamic work environments.
What Senior Interactive Designer skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Lucas Charles: To maximize their salary potential, graphic design graduates should focus on key strategies. Building a diverse portfolio showcases skills, while cultivating a professional network opens doors to higher-paying opportunities. Continuous upskilling ensures competitiveness, and confident negotiation of fair compensation based on expertise enhances earning potential.
What general advice would you give to a Senior Interactive Designer?
Kristin Snopkowski: Within a degree in Anthropology, there are a wide variety of career opportunities. This can be both a benefit and a challenge - it allows you to pursue many different careers and if you find you don't like one particular job, there are a lot of other areas of employment that you would be qualified for, but at the same time, it makes it harder to decide which employment opportunities to pursue. Further, the onus is on you to explain how your anthropology degree prepares you for a particular job, given that many people do not know or understand the skills gained with a degree in anthropology.
What Senior Interactive Designer skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Kristin Snopkowski: We know that the world is becoming more data driven, so developing skills in quantitative and qualitative methods will likely give you an advantage when it comes to applying for jobs. Anthropologists have always been good at qualitative methodologies and combining it with quantitative methods makes you a particularly attractive applicant. The recent AI revolution also means that key skills like critical thinking, oral and written communication, and teamwork are going to be some of the most important skills that cannot be replaced by an AI bot.
What will help Senior Interactive Designers increase their earning potential?
Kristin Snopkowski: There are some areas of anthropology that have better monetary compensation than others. The field of User Experience is a particularly high paying area for anthropology majors, which utilizes qualitative methods to help companies develop products and services that better respond to human needs. Within archaeology, many students opt to pursue a master's degree to maximize their compensation and gain advancement opportunities.
What general advice would you give to a Senior Interactive Designer?
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 will help Senior Interactive Designers increase their earning potential?
Kathryn Anderson: With the advent of AI, graphic designers must be valued for their technical and critical thinking skills. Graphic Designers of today provide more than just what the client wants or envisions, but rather a uniquely hyper-focused solution that can stand the test of time because of the insightful research and intense amount of processing and editing that is embedded in the design.
What general advice would you give to a Senior Interactive Designer?
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 Senior Interactive Designer 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 Senior Interactive Designers 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 general advice would you give to a Senior Interactive Designer?
Dr. Denise Anderson: When mentoring students in developing their final portfolios and preparing them for professional practice I ask them “What makes you stand out above the line” or simply put, what separates you from all the other designers looking for a job. This could be prestigious internships, knowing motion or 3D rendering skills and then I tell them to promote their strengths. For example, my student Myesha Bennett spent four years in the Navy to pay for college. What she learned along the way shaped her as the designer she is today and these lessons made her stand above the line.
What will help Senior Interactive Designers 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 Senior Interactive Designer 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 general advice would you give to a Senior Interactive Designer?
Jason Bronner: After developing strong design skills, it is important to focus on developing public speaking and listening skills for working with clients and colleagues. Making connections with clients, through effective listening and speaking skills, will improve salary potential. Working directly with clients, presenting to and teaching them about good design is crucial for maximizing salary potential.
What will help Senior Interactive Designers increase their earning potential?
Jason Bronner: With an increasing number of tools including Artificial Intelligence, interpersonal skills will grow in importance for designers. Connecting with the client is already integral and will remain so.
What will help Senior Interactive Designers increase their earning potential?
Nikki Arnell MFA: People like that being a graphic designer allows them to be creative for a living, with regular pay and benefits. However, the constant revisions and critiques on creative work can be challenging, and designers must learn to balance their artistic vision with client feedback and project objectives.
What general advice would you give to a Senior Interactive Designer?
Nikki Arnell MFA: Generally, a graphic designer is a visual problem-solver and liaison between client and consumer. They spend most of their day creating designs, attending meetings, and organizing and communicating with team members. Each day is dynamic and exciting in the graphic design field.
What Senior Interactive Designer skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Nikki Arnell MFA: Job flexibility is a key reason why Graphic Design is a good profession to enter now. A graphic designer can have various job titles and work in different settings, providing opportunities for freelance work or full-time positions. Having a strong portfolio is more important than a job title for future job prospects.
Eric Benson
Associate Professor and Chair of Graphic Design and Design for Responsible InnovationThe Illinois Institute of Art-Schaumburg
Graphic Communications
What general advice would you give to a Senior Interactive Designer?
Eric Benson: You have to work your way up to maximize your potential. However, to begin, take a look at the salary guides for the cities you want to live in, so you have an idea of the possibilities. The more technology and skills you know/have, the more money could come your way.
What Senior Interactive Designer skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Eric Benson: Take advantage of your network you created and already exists at your University/college. Your friends and faculty know people, so ask them for help connecting with others in your area of graphic design interest. In addition, be humble, but confident in yourself. Be nice to everyone and open to new conversations and opportunities you weren't planning on.
What will help Senior Interactive Designers increase their earning potential?
Eric Benson: As I'm answering this now, I'd have to acknowledge that AI tools will become more prevalent in graphic design. We should explore them in order to take ownership of them, so we don't lose our relevancy. In addition, sustainability within the field will continue to grow and be increasingly more important to have a knowledgebase in.
What will help Senior Interactive Designers 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.
What Senior Interactive Designer skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Nancy Wynn: Design is everywhere. Design is interdisciplinary. There are a variety of ways to find your fit in the profession, but the need is ever great and growing. More people understand the power of good design and marketing. As you consider the possibilities, you need to think about what other fields, or disciplines, are you interested in, i.e. sports, fashion, healthcare, finance, non-profits, the Arts, education, built environment, etc. Once you consider other possible connections, you focus your attention, since everything has to be designed.
Tom Futrell
Associate ProfessorLouisiana Tech University
Design And Applied Arts
What will help Senior Interactive Designers increase their earning potential?
Tom Futrell: Building a killer portfolio is the baseline for students entering the design field. However, to boost earning potential, designers must go beyond the basics and set themselves apart from their competition. This may involve showcasing additional interests and skills, emphasizing design systems thinking, or excelling in presentation abilities. Successful designers won't settle for mastering software alone or consider themselves artists - they will be dedicated problem solvers and visual communicators, capable of connecting diverse ideas with diverse audiences.
What general advice would you give to a Senior Interactive Designer?
Tom Futrell: For recent graduates, my advice is to embrace curiosity and consistently work hard. Dedicate time to experimentation, reading, writing, asking questions, and developing a robust design process. This effort will stand out in your work, offering potential employers valuable insight into who you are and how you think.
What Senior Interactive Designer skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Tom Futrell: I firmly believe that the most successful designers will have the skills to navigate various devices and platforms. In our interconnected world, designers who can create experiences across print, digital, social, and emerging technologies for culturally diverse audiences will always be desirable.
What will help Senior Interactive Designers increase their earning potential?
Saskia Van Kampen: This question is impossible for me to answer as what one likes or dislikes about graphic design will be very individual.
What Senior Interactive Designer skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Saskia Van Kampen: Graphic design is an exciting career choice because of the variety of opportunities that are available. There is in-house design jobs where you work for an organization and do their design work-these opportunities range from non-profits, small to mid-size companies or huge corporations. You could work for a design studio where there are multiple clients with varied needs. There are jobs in print-focused design ranging from publication design to packaging design and marketing work such as branding and identity design. There are opportunities to work digitally on websites and app development. User experience and user interface design is a very popular field for students at SF State because of our tech-central location and this is expanding into Virtual and augmented reality. Wayfinding design is another avenue design students can explore where design is integrated into environments to help users navigate through spaces. There is also the option of working as a freelance designer, but this is more challenging to do straight out of school.
Pilar Newton
Program Director of Electronic Design and Multimedia programColumbia University in the City of New York
Fine And Studio Arts
What will help Senior Interactive Designers increase their earning potential?
Pilar Newton: In the constantly evolving design field, one must have faith in their skills and stay true to themselves. It is crucial to be unique and original because the world needs originality. With AI's growing presence in the design, animation, video, and other fields, it is essential to keep up with technological advancements. However, creative abilities will take you further and make you stand out more than just mastering software.
What general advice would you give to a Senior Interactive Designer?
Pilar Newton: Look into what industry you are interested in pursuing and research what the salary range is for positions that you are interested in, especially entry-level. Research what studios are looking for. Even if a studio is not hiring, reach out to them to set up informational interviews with studios that you are interested in. Often studio art directors will generously spend time on the phone, zoom, or even an in-person meeting to talk to you and tell you what the studio is looking for in potential artists that work for them. Keep sharp! Keep practicing and staying on top of the latest versions of software and keep building your skills.
What Senior Interactive Designer skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Jake Dugard: Code. Designers will need to know how to code... just kidding. I would be remiss if I did not mention Artificial Intelligence. I think there is a lot of value in becoming highly specialized, but I think AI will empower anyone to become an "expert" in everything. So where I won't advocate for specific tools, I think it'll be crucial for designers to be able to collaborate with AI and people.
What Senior Interactive Designer skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Michael Hosenfeld: Technical skills and life-long learning are critical to job safety and advancement. Visual design and functionality of the product are equally important. But salaries in technology-driven environments are higher in the average. The ability to actually execute an idea to become a successful product including various digital media formats is highly valued. Design is as much inspired by technology, as it depends on it.
What will help Senior Interactive Designers increase their earning potential?
Michael Hosenfeld: The ability to actually execute an idea to become a successful product including various digital media formats is highly valued. Design is as much inspired by technology, as it depends on it.
Jan Ballard
Senior InstructorTexas Christian University
Design And Applied Arts
What Senior Interactive Designer skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Jan Ballard: In our BFA program, graduates must fulfill an internship requirement and participate in professional development events and conferences, such as Dialexa EDU, National Student Show, and Circles. Students should also thoughtfully follow industry influencers on social channels to stay informed of current market trends.
Carolyn Brown
ProfessorFoothill College
Graphic Communications
What general advice would you give to a Senior Interactive Designer?
Carolyn Brown: If you are looking to be hired by a creative agency or a creative department in a large company, invest your time in preparing a strong portfolio that aligns with the kind of projects you want to work on, and apply to agencies that do those kinds of projects. If you want to start your own business, or freelance for a variety of clients, preparing a portfolio that shows the range of projects you are capable of delivering.
What will help Senior Interactive Designers increase their earning potential?
Carolyn Brown: AI will continue to grow in importance in the next 3-5 years. AI is useful in many ways. Right now, AI is mostly used for writing which is great for brainstorming and writing the messaging that graphic designers create the visuals for. AI is becoming an important tool for generating images, videos, animations, 3D, and AR/VR content. The most important skill is the ability to learn new skills and/or adapt your current skills to new technologies.
Elizabeth Sutton
Department Head, Professor of Art HistoryUniversity of Northern Iowa
Department of Art
What skills stand out on Senior Interactive Designer resumes?
Elizabeth Sutton: What really stands out is the quality of the student's portfolios and that they have client-based real-world experience.
What soft skills should all Senior Interactive Designers 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 hard/technical skills are most important for Senior Interactive Designers?
Elizabeth Sutton: We train our students in Adobe Creative Suite: InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator.
What skills will help Senior Interactive Designers earn the most?
Elizabeth Sutton: It's not about money. It's about liking what you do and making enough to meet you and your family's needs.... in any case, some of our Graphic Designers do very well when they add a Marketing minor from the College of Business.
Mary Miller
InstructorOklahoma State University Institute of Technology
Graphic Design Faculty
What skills stand out on Senior Interactive Designer resumes?
Mary Miller: Employers generally want to hire graphic designers who show conceptual, problem-solving ability and have solid skills in the basics: design, typography, use of color...but candidates who have motion graphics and video editing, photography/videography, and illustration skill will rise to the top of the list. It's expected that a designer will know multiple Adobe Creative Cloud programs like InDesign, Photoshop, and Illustrator, but they must also know After Effects, Premiere, XD, and Acrobat Pro, among others. Designers who can design for 3D objects like packaging and environmental graphics bring extra skill to the table as well.
What soft skills should all Senior Interactive Designers possess?
Mary Miller: Graphic designers are crucial to a business' success because they identify the brand's core values and personality and create the visual language that expresses those values and personality. So graphic designers must have strong research skills and be able to analyze and interpret them to know how to design ads and designs that will resonate with the target audience. Designers must be empathetic to understand what the target audience values and wants. Graphic designers must collaborate with their creative team and clients to develop strategies, so they must have excellent communication and teamwork skills. Excellent writing skills are a huge part of the necessary communication skills. Salesmanship and the ability to articulate the design rationale are requirements also. If a designer cannot articulate their concept to their art director or creative director first, they won't get the chance to present it to the client. Speaking and presentation skills are a part of a designer's career as well. When presenting to a client, they have to create the atmosphere for the client and reveal the solution in a way that explains, educates, and convinces the client that the solution will work. Campaigns are monitored, and the data is analyzed for effectiveness, tested, and tweaked. Graphic design is not about decorating pages but is much more cerebral...it is strategic art.