Digital design has become increasingly important as more and more eCommerce businesses are springing up, requiring websites, web logos and branded social media pages. All of which is great news for graphic designers, and anyone working in UX/UI fields.
There are a number of good reasons to choose to work as a freelance graphic designer. You may want the freedom to set your own hours, enjoy the variety of working for a number of different clients, or yearn to travel the world while earning your income. Yet, despite all these issues, you’ll also want to earn a good graphic designer salary.
Whether you’re an experienced graphic designer wondering about earning the same wage when you stop working in-house, or you’re looking to earn an entry-level graphic designer salary, we’ve gathered the data to answer all your questions about a freelance graphic designer salary in 2019, so that you can decide whether freelancing is the right path for you.
Average salary data can hide a huge range of income bands, but it’s still a good place to start. In the US, the average annual salary is around $57,000 according to two different surveys.
Naturally, that disguises a very broad range. At one end of the scale, a top, experienced graphic designer salary is over $90,000 per year, while at the other end, entry-level graphic designer salary could be as low as $26,500. If you break it down to an hourly fee, your salary could be anything from under $15/hour to over $60/hour.
Today’s business world is a global village, but that doesn’t mean that your salary is going to be the same wherever you work.
Due to widespread digital accessibility, earning potential is fairly consistent in developed countries. In the United Kingdom, employed graphic designers earn anywhere from £15,000 to £19,000 starting out and up to £35,000 to £55,000 at the senior level. For freelancers, there’s only a small difference between a graphic designer salary in the UK vs. in the US – the average freelance graphic designer in the UK earns the equivalent to $22 per hour, as opposed to just over $29 per hour for the average freelance graphic designer in the US.
When you look at developing countries, you’ll see a far bigger gap. For example, freelance designers in India get paid much less than those doing the same work in the US.
This means that the average freelance graphic designer salary in India is equivalent to under $5, compared to almost $30 for the average salary in the US. In fact, a graphic designer in Switzerland, which is home to some of the highest salaries in the world, earns more than ten times as much as a graphic designer in India! Just like in real estate, location does matter.
Here is a recent post looking at the top international websites for freelance designers looking for work.
Your level of experience and the breadth and depth of your design expertise play critical roles in your earning potential. A benefit of the freelance open market is that your earning potential is essentially what clients are willing to pay for someone that has your talents. Pricing of competing freelancers does place some restrictions on top-end potential.
The following are some of the critical factors to consider when you investigate how much you can earn as a freelance graphic designer.
Expenses
You’ll definitely have expenses, including your equipment, tools, software and other supplies. Remember, your work is only profitable if you set prices at a reasonable markup above these costs.
Scope of Work
The more technical the nature of the work, and the more unique your skills for that work are, the greater your earning potential will be. Learning challenging or unique software programs and design capabilities can increase your income. For example, UI and UX designers are in high demand at the moment. If you specialize as a UI/UX designer, you could earn an average yearly income of over $97,000. It’s significantly more than the average graphic designer salary.
Experience
For important projects, clients often prefer people with significant background and expertise. Furthermore, demonstrating strong performance builds trust, and clients will pay more for someone reliable. An experienced graphic designer salary could be almost eight times as much as that of an entry-level graphic designer!
This perspective on earning potential for freelancers in graphic design should help you figure out whether this is the right work path for you, which skills to specialize in, and even which country to target when you look for work. Freelancers benefit not only from a healthy income, but also from flexibility and diversity of work.
As you receive online money transfers from national and international work, utilize Payoneer to affordably and efficiently accept payments!