Explore safer careers (5)
Lower estimated automation risk
Why it fits
Uses design judgment, brand standards, creative review, client direction, and visual campaign coordination.
Why it fits
Fits designers with interactive media portfolios, visual systems, user experience, and digital production skills.
Why it fits
Uses spatial composition, branding, visual storytelling, client briefs, and production constraints.
Why it fits
Applies visual problem solving, presentation, materials awareness, and customer-oriented design thinking.
Why it fits
Uses composition, lighting, image editing, client briefs, and visual communication skills.
Occupation snapshot
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What's this?
We rate jobs using four factors. These are:
- Chance of being automated
- Job growth
- Wages
- Volume of available positions
These are some key things to think about when job hunting.
Risk & user votes
Calculated automation risk
Low Risk (21-40%): This occupation has a lower risk of full replacement by AI, software, or robotic systems. Some tasks may be automated or assisted, but the role usually still relies on human judgement, communication, responsibility, physical adaptability, or practical decision-making.
More information on what this score is, and how it is calculated is available here.
Human strengths important in this job
These are human abilities and work contexts that are important in this occupation. They may help explain why parts of the role are harder to replace end-to-end, but they are not the only inputs into the automation score.
Thinking creatively
Very importantWhy this matters
Decision-making and problem solving
Very importantWhy this matters
Social perceptiveness
Quite importantWhy this matters
Negotiation
Quite importantWhy this matters
Coordinating others’ work
Quite importantWhy this matters
Show 4 more strengths
Coaching and developing others
Quite importantWhy this matters
Communicating with people outside the organization
Quite importantWhy this matters
Consulting and advising others
Quite importantWhy this matters
Active learning
Quite importantWhy this matters
What users think
Based on 4,352 votes
Our visitors have voted that it's probable this occupation will be automated. However, employees may be able to find reassurance in the automated risk level we have generated, which shows 34% chance of automation.
What do you think the risk of automation is?
What is the likelihood that Graphic Designers will be replaced by robots or artificial intelligence within the next 20 years?
Sentiment
Based on user votes over time
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How opinions have changed over time
How opinions have changed over time
Pay & outlook
Wages
In 2024, the median annual wage for Graphic Designers was $61,300 ($29 per hour).
The median annual wage for Graphic Designers was 23.8% higher than the national median annual wage, which stood at $49,500.
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Wages over time
Growth
The number of 'Graphic Designers' job openings is expected to rise 2.1% by 2034
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Total employment, and estimated job openings
Updated projections are due 09-2025.
Volume
As of 2024 there were 214,260 people employed as 'Graphic Designers' within the United States.
This represents around 0.14% of the employed workforce across the country
Put another way, around 1 in 719 people are employed as 'Graphic Designers'.
People also viewed
Job description
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.
O*NET-SOC code: 27-1024.00
What people are saying (174)
So yeah, i don't think corporate will slow down on their demand for professionals but freelance will take a huge tool (i think), i myself am trying to expand it as of late, art comissions were never stable but i loved to them (nowadays the chance of getting a client is probably close to 0 since a lot of basic stuff is covered for the average client without high standarts) so i opt out to learn how to tattoo, so maybe if it ever comes to lose my job because of some morons from the tech industry i might have something else to go by.
In short: Even if hard it in theory could be possible, but I'm more for making that AI + Artist combo to help people with drawing.
The problem that people don't seem to understand is that all the generative ai programs right now produce art that's very cool to look at and art that no one would ever pay for, because they don't understand the point of paying for art in the first place.
There are billions of cool images you get get for free online right now. Graphic designers already compete against that, and yet, they're still paid.
Why?
The reason why artists are paid is because people want something very specific, and all generative AI right now, and in the future, will fail the specificity requirement because it by nature has to give probabilistic (aka common) answers, and as people adapt to AI art existing, the demands on specificity will increase.
Graphic design is too broad of a term in my opinion. There's logo design, web design, package design, wayfinding design, branding, mobile design, t-shirt design, print design, poster design, and much more.
Digital art and illustrations I think are already under threat. When the art being generated is general and the boundaries of art are more forgiving, then the general nature of AI will thrive. But for more exacting work like logo design, web design, and package design, AI struggles from my experience.
I have played around with Adobe's built-in AI tools for Illustrator and Photoshop. While they're cool to play with, I often find myself wasting time playing prompt engineering, when I could have created something on my own faster. If I as a designer don't have patience to prompt-engineer my way into a design, I'm certain clients won't either.
There's also levels to graphic design. Maybe AI will get rid of the bad designers and the bad clients! But the precise, custom, unique work that many clients look for is hard to replace.
Lastly, being a graphic designer is more than just the technical skills. It's about directing a vision for the design. Even if AI is 100% perfect, it may not understand the client's needs.
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As a design educator at a university with a well respected communication design program who has embraced AI use by my junior/senior level students over the last two semesters, I have watched our students aided by AI, produce more strategic, well researched and well executed advertising and brand designs that far exceed their peers who are not using AI. I have seen the most progress in:
- organization
- accuracy
- time management
- writing skills
- iterative idea generation
- clarity of communication
- audience insights
- persona building
- animation
- automation of manual task
Their approach is more efficient and and happens much quicker allowing them more time for a more irrational process foe problem solving and concept generation and in turn allowing more time for refinement of initial design exploration, which lead to outcomes they far exceeded their expectations.
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In my 25-years as a design educator I have never seen this kind of student improvement and quality of outcomes in the above categories/areas.
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These students will — with a high degree of certainty— enter the market with a baseline knowledge of AI that will far exceed most of the more senior employees and management of the firms that will employ them. Most likely they will demonstrate better time management, process and modality engagement and organizational proficiency. Aided by AI and with an in-depth knowledge of AI they will be highly valued for their efficiency by offloading manual and time absorbing task like research, composing emails, etc. allowing them to be hyper focused on create problem-solving and more strategy solutions and outcomes.
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We would reserve class time to discuss the ethics and implications of using AI covering, authenticity, originality, IP volitions, copyright violations. Additionally, In compliance with our University’s Code of Academic Honesty they include citations and attributions to what AI sources were used.
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Like most of us, I’m both excited and a bit apprehensive about AI. I’m optimistic that AI can help elevate and augment a designer’s approach and creative outcomes. The difficulty I face and an educator is the unprecedented pace at which AI is expanding. There is no doubt they AI will get abused and it will require guidelines and policies that are currently non existent.
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