Designing your Dollar

Once you have completed your Design degree you will need to decide which particular design field you wish to enter. This decision can be based upon your creative talents, specialized course work or personal interests. One huge factor in deciding what field to enter is the income potential for someone holding this particular online degree. A design degree holder can earn a wide range of salaries dependant on the type of work done and the amount of experience in the field.

Graphic Designer

The graphic designer uses the knowledge acquired from an online graphic design degree to effectively communicate a message to the populace. They use various techniques and layouts to design eye catching advertisements and the production of various types of visual media. The median starting salary (in the United States) for this job is about $32,000 per year. Within five years it may jump up to $40,000 and up to $50,000 by ten years. The highest salaried graphic designers live in New York and make about $63,000 per year.

Web Designer

Web designers take their design degree skills and knowledge to the internet. Their job is quite similar to a graphic designer with the addition of programming knowledge and a firm idea about how internet users view advertisement and textual information. Starting web designers average about $42,000 per year. Within five years a web designer may earn about $51,000 and in ten years it may go up to $73,000 or more. The internet is only gaining users in the foreseeable future which indicates the need for web designers will increase as will the pay rates.

Art Director

Art directors’ salaries vary widely. It often depends on the amount of art programs in the region and the focus on the types of art. In areas like New York and California, the median starting salary for this job is about $60,000 because there are large art museums, art colleges and art based programs on lower educational levels. If you travel to areas where there is less stress put on the physical arts, like the south eastern or mid western areas, the median salary may decrease to about $40,000 per year.