Graphic Designers

What Graphic Designers Do

Design or create graphics to meet specific commercial or promotional needs, such as packaging, displays, or logos. May use a variety of mediums to achieve artistic or decorative effects.

Career Outlook

National employment outlook, 2024–2034.

Related work experience

None

On-the-job training

None

Self-employed

17.7%

Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.

Key Knowledge Areas

Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.

• Designimportance 4.7/5
• Computers and Electronicsimportance 4.4/5
• Fine Artsimportance 4.4/5
• Communications and Mediaimportance 4.3/5
• English Languageimportance 3.8/5
• Sales and Marketingimportance 3.6/5
• Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 3.5/5
• Production and Processingimportance 3.3/5

Work Environment

What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.

• E-Mail4.9/5
• Spend Time Sitting4.8/5
• Time Pressure4.7/5
• Telephone Conversations4.5/5
• Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team4.4/5
• Importance of Being Exact or Accurate4.4/5

Related Careers

• Special Effects Artists and Animators
• Art Directors
• Web and Digital Interface Designers
• Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators
• Desktop Publishers
• Set and Exhibit Designers
• Commercial and Industrial Designers
• Interior Designers

Careers With Similar Skills

Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.

• Atmospheric and Space Scientists97% skill match
• Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers96% skill match
• Loan Interviewers and Clerks96% skill match
• Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary96% skill match
• Management Analysts95% skill match
• Public Relations Specialists95% skill match
• Physician Assistants95% skill match
• Occupational Therapists95% skill match

Transferable Skills

Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.

• Social Perceptivenessimportance 3.1/5
• Coordinationimportance 3.1/5
• Complex Problem Solvingimportance 3.1/5
• Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 3.1/5
• Time Managementimportance 3.1/5
• Persuasionimportance 3.0/5
• Negotiationimportance 3.0/5
• Service Orientationimportance 3.0/5

Software & Technologies

Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.

Work Style

Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.

• Innovation
• Attention to Detail
• Dependability
• Achievement Orientation
• Adaptability
• Intellectual Curiosity
• Tolerance for Ambiguity

Career Interests

This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.

• ArtisticHigh
• ConventionalMedium
• EnterprisingMedium
• RealisticMedium
• InvestigativeLow
• SocialLow

Where This Career Is Most Concentrated

Metro areas where graphic designers make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).

1. 1Oshkosh-Neenah, WI2.35× national avg
2. 2Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA2.01× national avg
3. 3Lawrence, KS1.82× national avg
4. 4Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA1.73× national avg
5. 5Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT1.69× national avg

Possible Career Moves

A computed starting point, not observed job-change data — see the full list for why each one might fit.

• Management AnalystsCareer Change
• Public Relations SpecialistsLateral Move
• Market Research Analysts and Marketing SpecialistsCareer Change
• Atmospheric and Space ScientistsCareer Change

See the full career path from Graphic Designers →

Related Education Programs

Schools that offer related fields of study, based on the NCES CIP-SOC crosswalk — not a guarantee that graduates enter this specific career.