What are the advantages and disadvantages of being a visual designer? This career has many incredible benefits, from decent income and promising prospects to the opportunity to become self-employed.
However, you must also consider its drawbacks, such as challenging requests and criticism. Join me in this post as I will analyze every aspect of this job!
Who Is a Visual Designer?
A visual designer is a creative expert specializing in the design’s visual aspects. They work on various digital and print projects to make them visually appealing, for example:
- Websites
- Ads
- Logos
- Brochures
- Posters
- Business cards
These designers use their artistic and design skills and computer tools (Photoshop, Illustrator, etc.) to ensure the designs that meet clients’ needs.
Because of the more and more popularity of visual design, many people want to know whether this is a career for them. Let’s dive into the rewards and challenges of working in this role!
The best rewards for becoming a visual designer are a decent income and good prospects. Additionally, the opportunities to express creativity, work remotely, and become self-employed have led many people to pursue it.
1. Decent Income and Good Prospects
First, a visual design career provides a decent income and good prospects for finding and keeping a job in this field.
Let’s begin with the income! In the US, the average pay for a visual designer is about $83,540 per year (as of 2024); when you add in extra incomes, your total annual earnings can be up to around $82,353 or even over $100,000 for those with a lot of experience.
Regarding job prospects, the job market for graphic designers, which includes visual designers, is expected to grow by around 3% from 2022-2032. So, there will be roughly 22,800 job openings each year on average.
2. There Are Many Opportunities To Express Creativity
I love how this career lets me be creative in so many ways with different projects. Whether I’m designing a website, coming up with a logo, or creating the best illustrations, I can put my artistic spin on things and show off my skills.
Plus, there are always new tools and tricks to learn in the design world. I love experimenting with new software and staying on the latest design trends.
3. Can Work Remotely
As a visual designer, one of the best perks is that I’m not tied down to a specific location. Instead, I can choose the environment that suits my creativity best, whether it’s a quiet home office for deep focus or a lively cafe for inspiration.
4. There Is An Opportunity To Become Self-Employed
Being a visual designer can lead to a chance to work for yourself. It means you get to pick the projects you are passionate about and work on your terms without the usual 9-to-5 grind.
When you’re self-employed in this role, you can build your own brand and reputation. You set your rates, decide your style, and create a portfolio showing your best work.
Plus, there’s the potential to make good money. You earn directly from your clients and have more control over your income. Sure, it comes with challenges like managing money and marketing yourself. So, plan carefully if this is your path.
5. Social Sites’ Benefit
Another benefit of being a visual designer is using social media (Instagram, Behance, and Dribbble) to display my portfolio, allowing a vast audience to see and appreciate my work.
Moreover, social media connects me with other designers and pros. I need these relationships for advice and keeping up with the latest design trends. They’ve also helped me get freelance jobs and even full-time work.
While being a visual designer offers a rewarding outlet for creativity and self-expression, it comes with the following challenges:
6. Competitive Job
In the world of visual design, it’s like a never-ending race. Loads of talented designers are out there, all vying for the same jobs and projects. So, it is sometimes a real struggle to find work.
But it’s not just competition among designers; it’s also competition among clients. Many businesses have access to design tools these days. So, they can design themselves or hire designers who charge way less. As a result, finding clients who understand the value of professional design work is challenging.
7. Always Face Difficult Requests and Criticism From Customers
Another challenge is dealing with tricky requests from clients and handling criticism. Clients often have specific ideas that don’t match my creative vision. It’s frustrating when a client insists on design choices that I don’t think are the best for their project.
Besides, clients’ feedback can sometimes be subjective and confusing, so meeting their expectations while staying true to my design principles is challenging.
8. Often Works Alone
Many designers, including myself, work remotely or freelance because of the freedom of working time and workplace.
While I enjoy the freedom to be creative when working independently, I sometimes feel lonely because there are no colleagues to bounce ideas off of or give me instant feedback.
However, you will not face this difficulty if you work on-site. Instead, you will often work within a team of different roles.
Is Visual Design A Good Career Choice?
The answer really depends on what you’re into. Visual design could be your dream gig if you’re all about creativity and solving design challenges.
In this role, you can express yourself, potentially make a decent income, and maybe even work from anywhere you like.
But remember that the job market can be pretty competitive, and sometimes you’ll have to deal with tricky clients or criticism. Plus, you might spend a lot of time working on your own.
Wrap Up
Above are the pros and cons of being a visual designer. I believe that visual design can be a fantastic career if you’re passionate about design, willing to learn and adapt, and ready to embrace the creative journey.
What about you? What do you think about this job? Discuss this in the comments section!