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4 October 06

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Salaries on the decline for Junior graphic designers

In the three years of my creative profession, I have been many things working for three bosses: I was initially employed by a travel publisher as online services administrator then promoted to a chief graphic designer. I left after a year and freelanced, working for myself where I was thrown in the deep of everything I had not done before – an accounts manager, a web designer, and an accountant. Five months into the tough, but extremely rewarding period I became employed under an Australasian publishing firm working as an advertising artist, whilst still holding onto my freelance business. I’m thrilled with my experience, with a 3 year design degree under the myriad of experiences that I’ve had. But does this all count to my current salary? Yes and no. I have all the experience beyond many intermediate designers and my boss tells me I’m the highest paid designer he’s seen. The fact that I had to fight for a salary below what a graduate nurse may get paid shows me there is something funny going on in my industry.

Let me put you in context. To keep things simple I’ll forgo mentioning my freelance. At my first employment I started on ‘ bit of a slap after having a year’s experience as a chief graphic designer!

Several factors had me reluctantly agree – during the throes of insecurity in my freelance days, I became semi-desperate for a part time income. In the end they fell in love with my skills and I asked for a pay rise for the very first time. I approached the topic after 6 months of loyal service with a perfect little proposal which I outlined all my achievements including the fact that I had a degree under my belt. (I don’t think the argument of having a degree always works, your work ethic, design and your ability to show this to your boss speaks for itself). So up $5000 goes my salary, and it was only after another 6 months that I asked for more. It was a lot harder this time round as I had to persuade the company Director face-to-face, plus I had to ‘stand my ground’ firmly. My story may sound simple, and it sure is compared to new graduate designers I’ve been speaking to.

Take Abby* for example. As a recent graduate from the same school I trained at for a bachelor of design she applied for a junior position as a graphic designer in a local news publisher. In the interview process her portfolio placed her above any other candidate, and if I was 3 years younger and applying for the same position, her portfolio would’ve won any chances against mine. Not saying that my portfolio is crap, but thinking back I am very fortunate because my first interview was granted because I impressed the right manager at the right time! So anyway Abby is granted the job with the employer choosing her over another ‘very strong candidate’ (who had no degree), a complimentary ego boost that ‘it was a very tough decision’, and then paradoxically offering her a measly $11.50 per hour. Abby contemplates going back to working at the café where she gets $14.50 per hour.

Nowadays they say experience overrides portfolio. But what happens when the employer is specifically looking for graduates? Let me say that these employers will feel they are doing the creative industry a favour by buying our fresh meat. And I agree that they are. Many advertising agencies like to employ several levels of expertise to balance their team. While fresh graduates can offer new perspectives in creative solutions and have an abundance of enthusiasm, many companies like this and will favour against more experienced designers who, like myself, knows thy limits and are a little more wary of being taken advantaged of.

Take Abby’s friend Sam*. Sam is working as an inhouse designer within a team of 3 other designers where she gets $12 if she were working a 40 hour week. But she doesn’t get overtime even when she regularly works in the weekend. Thinking that: “At design school we worked on our projects until weird hours in the night, so at least getting paid for it” seems to do the trick – for a while.

While this article wasn’t meant to attack employers (no, it really isn’t), designers do need to take some responsibility for their the future of their own industry. Whilst the low wage, high demand job may produce a feeling of great accomplishment for the junior designer, ongoing attitudes of this kind can often send the wrong message to the employer. It simply says to them that it’s okay to underpay graduate designers. Brand and advertising agencies aren’t much better. Most agencies may offer between $29 000 to $32 000 per year for the junior designer, and experience is almost incremental in these cases unless they had a very impressive portfolio. In the case of Abby, she feels she can’t ask for a pay raise because of her competition. “If I said that, the other candidate would’ve got the job”. She’s probably right too, if the company saw no value in her degree over the other graduate.

So are junior designers paving the way for devaluing themselves or is this an industry crisis? While the government has put in their indication that they value its creative industry (e.g. Better by Design) many businesses in New Zealand have yet to catch up on the idea. Every year there are over 300 graduates from design schools begging for a foot in the door. If you’re one of this hopeful graphic-designer–to I be, I’ll strongly urge you to consider the motives of your future employer.

Before you commence employment of any kind, read the fine print on your contract. Clarify with your employer the rules are for overtime, and make sure that compensation is stated on your contract. When deadline calls, be sure you point out to your manager that while you are happy to work over time to achieve the deadline, you would like to be granted with a fair compensation. Remember that by just working through it, you’re at risk for encouraging your employer to devalue your efforts. Of course these guidelines are applicable to any designer, not just junior ones, and even after 3 years I’m still having to push myself to stand up for me when it comes to being paid fairly at work. It’s a tough world for us graphic designers out there, so arm yourselves and pave a new way for all of us.

*names are changed for privacy.