What Does a Graphic Designer Do? (And How to Become One)

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Key takeaways

Graphic designers blend creativity and technology to communicate ideas visually across print and digital platforms.

• They create visual concepts, develop layouts, and produce designs for websites, ads, logos, packaging, and more.

• Graphic designers can work in-house, at agencies, or freelance, serving industries from marketing to publishing and retail.

• You can grow your career by specializing in areas like UX/UI, motion graphics, or branding, depending on your interests and strengths.

Read on to learn more about what graphic designers do day to day, how you can break into the field, and in-demand skills to succeed in this role.

If you're ready to start building your graphic design portfolio and skill set, consider earning a certificate from an industry leader with Adobe's Graphic Designer Professional Certificate program.

What is graphic design? A quick overview

Graphic design is a form of communication that uses colors, shapes, images, and words to create visual content in many forms—namely, print and digital media. Effective designs communicate information in a way that inspires and informs consumers, making it a critical element for any business’ success.

Graphic design assets can be small, like a company logo or app icon, or big and complex, like a website or billboard installation. A graphic designer aims to influence consumers through emotions using different artistic elements and forms, such as print and digital art. 

What does a graphic designer do?

A graphic designer creates useful, meaningful, and functional visuals using various means of technology. Graphic designers create images and layouts for some of the following:

• Company brand identity (logos, typography, and color palettes)

• User interfaces on apps and websites

• Books, magazines, newspapers, and other publications

• Product packaging

• Advertisements and commercials

• Signage for stores, transportation, stadiums, and event spaces

• Video games

Read more: Graphic Artist vs. Graphic Designer: Understanding the Difference

What does a graphic designer do on a daily basis?

The work depends largely on a client’s or company’s needs, but general designer responsibilities may include:

• Developing visual assets to support a marketing campaign

• Designing a graphic overlay for social media posts

• Formalizing the layout for a print ad

• Creating company logos

• Retouching photos for digital signage

Where do graphic designers work?

Since graphic designers can work in many settings, your tasks and responsibilities may vary. You may work in-house at a company or agency or at home as a freelancer. Graphic designers often work in:

• Ad agencies

• Web design firms

• Marketing firms

• Print and online publishers

• Online and brick-and-mortar retailers

• Nonprofit organizations

Read more: 7 Entry-Level Graphic Design Jobs + How to Land Yours

Graphic designer salary

According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the median annual salary for graphic designers is $61,300 as of 2024, or $29.47 per hour [1]. Graphic designers working in advertising and public relations tend to earn on the higher end of the pay scale. You can learn more by checking out the article Graphic Designer Salary: Your 2025 Guide.

Should I become a graphic designer?

When you pursue a career in graphic design, you get to flex your creative skills and put them to use while you learn and implement new technologies in your work. If you want to have a critical hand in shaping how a company, brand, or product comes across to the world, it may be worth pursuing a career in graphic design. 

Job outlook for graphic designers

As with many creative fields, the job outlook for graphic designers is competitive. BLS predicts that there will be a 2 percent increase in the need for graphic designers from 2023 to 2033 [1]. This growth is slower than average due in part to the decline in graphic design jobs at newspapers, magazines, and traditional print publishing companies. It is balanced by an increase in companies’ digital presence.

How to become a graphic designer

If you’re ready to pursue a career in graphic design, follow these steps to streamline your process:

1. Pursue an education.

According to Zippia, 68 percent of graphic designers have a bachelor’s degree, while 23 percent have an associate degree [3]. Earning a graphic design degree (or a degree in a related field) may help you build foundational career knowledge and give you opportunities to begin building a portfolio of work to show potential employers.

You can look for programs accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design. Coursework in these programs will typically include principles of design, computerized design, studio art, printing techniques, and website design.

Read more: Your Guide to Graphic Design Degrees

2. Gain exposure to the field.

While you are enrolled in a design program, work on building relevant skills to become more competitive when you’re job-hunting for a graphic design position. You may choose some of these approaches:

• Find an internship and work with experienced designers in a real-world setting.

• Volunteer your design skills to local charitable organizations.

• Take courses on specific graphic design topics, such as the University of Sydney’s Innovation through Design: Think, Make, Break, Repeat course.

• Pursue certification in popular graphic design products, such as Adobe.

• Join a design organization. Membership often comes with access to networking and professional development opportunities. You can join the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA) at different levels, including student, emerging, professional, leader, or educator.

3. Hone your graphic design skills.

While completing a degree and gaining exposure to the field of graphic design, be sure to hone the skills that employers look for in a graphic designer. For example, Zippia’s resume data show that the most-referenced skill among graphic designers is Adobe Creative Suite, with other top skills including typography, brochures, and PowerPoint [4].

If you’re naturally creative and have a good eye for visually compelling design, a career in graphic design may suit you well. Nurture your talent as a graphic designer by spending time building a few key skills:

• Audience targeting helps you identify and analyze who the design should appeal to and why.

• Color theory is a set of rules and guidelines you can apply to your work to create aesthetically pleasing visuals. This involves choosing the right color palette for each project and understanding how people perceive color in various situations.

• Communication skills help you communicate, actively listen, problem-solve, and understand what clients and other stakeholders need when collaborating on a project.

• Computer-aided design (CAD) software helps you create complex two- and three-dimensional designs. Some of the computer software programs useful in graphic design include Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, InDesign, Dreamweaver, Paintshop Pro, and Corel Graphics Suite.

• Computerized sketching gives you creative flexibility that sketching and coloring by hand cannot offer. Sketching software also allows you to quickly implement changes to a design.

• Layout can help you effectively manipulate the visual space of a print page or screen to attract viewers.

• Typeface design can assist you in telling appropriate, pleasing, and easy-to-read stories by using the ideal categories of font and typeface.

• Web design gives you the knowledge to design on various content management platforms. Although not always necessary, an understanding of some programming languages, such as HTML and CSS, can help you succeed.

Stay up to date on the most in-demand skills by researching career sites like Zippia, Glassdoor, and Indeed, and reading job descriptions. You can also watch for trends through graphic design news hubs, like WIRED, PRINT, and Graphic Design USA.

Common design elements for graphic designers to know

Because of the emotional connection that graphic design aims to establish with an audience, those who work in the field have a foundational understanding of key design elements. Four of the major design elements include:

• Hierarchy: A very busy design will make it hard for an audience to focus their attention on the important elements. Understanding hierarchy will help a graphic designer create a design that calls attention to the most important pieces. For example, they might use a larger font to highlight the key message.

• Balance: On the topic of graphic design, you'll often hear the word "weight." Key elements in a design will have different weights in order to convey different levels of importance and make a design more engaging. Balance can bring harmony to a design by creating appealing symmetry or interesting asymmetry.

• Negative space: A design will naturally include blank elements because if you fill every piece of a given landscape, it will likely overwhelm your audience. Negative space is important and refers to the parts of the design you leave empty to emphasize the design itself.

• Color: Colors convey different emotions. Drawing on color theory to play up or downplay certain messaging can enhance the design you ultimately create.

Glossary of graphic design terms

CMYK: A color model typically used in print visuals that stands for the four colors used in ink plates: cyan, magenta, yellow, and key (black)

Hex code: A six-digit HTML code that represents a color used in a computer design program

Infographic: A visual representation of data designed to present information clearly and efficiently

JPEG: A format for compressing graphic image files

Mood board: A collection of images and texts that communicates a project or brand’s overall aesthetic messaging

PPI: Pixels per inch, an important term that measures the density of pixels on the screens of various devices to determine resolution

Resolution: The amount of detail an image or digital display shows, measured in dots per inch (printed image) or pixels per inch (digital image)

Typography: The manipulation of the style and appearance of printed or digital matter so it is legible, readable, appropriate, and aesthetically pleasing

User interface (UI) design: The design of interfaces in software, apps, websites, or computer devices to maximize their usability

Vector image: A graphic file built by points on a grid that you may adjust without losing resolution

Read more: 5 Popular Graphic Design Software and How to Choose One 

4. Explore career paths in graphic design.

Being a graphic designer can open doors to numerous careers and industries. Within a design department at a company, you may be able to advance into managerial positions, like creative director or project manager. Many people who have started as graphic designers have also expanded into new and exciting fields, such as augmented reality and virtual reality, where visuals impact interactive experiences. You can learn more about your career options with the article Graphic Design Jobs: What Jobs Can You Get With a Graphic Design Degree?

Explore our free graphic design resources

• Stay up to date on job market trends, in-demand careers, and more by subscribing to our LinkedIn newsletter, Career Chat.

• Check out Coursera's YouTube channel for insight about graphic design certificate programs, skills, and more.

• Want to get started in graphic design but unsure which specialization is right for you? Try our graphic design career path finder.

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