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Designers

How to become a Graphic Designer

Also called: Advertising designer, Sign designer, Packaging designer

Creates designs and images for advertisements, publications, product packaging, logos and more, using appealing colour, shape and composition to express ideas visually.

Main tasks

Workers in this job say vocational college (senmon gakko) or university is common. From job tag's survey of people in each job, who could give several answers. It shows what workers see as common, not how many workers hold each level.

How to become one

No particular qualification is required to start, but you need a certain level of creative ability, having learned basic visual expression, colour theory and layout at an art university, senmon gakko (vocational college) or similar. People usually join an advertising agency or design studio after finishing their studies, but some become assistants to graphic designers who already work freelance. You start with simple tasks, such as making parts of a design like illustrations, and are gradually given harder work. After gaining experience as an assistant, it takes 2 to 5 years on average to become fully skilled. After that, some go independent as freelancers or set up studios with colleagues. These days less work is done by hand and most is done on computers. The ability to use DTP and CAD well is needed. Rich creativity and design skill to produce work and the flexibility to think freely are important, but conveying the image you want to express accurately needs technical skill behind it. You work with others, so cooperation is also needed. Graphic design techniques are advancing and changing fast, so you also need to make the effort to see lots of work, deepen your knowledge of printing and websites, and study and master new techniques. You are also expected to take an interest in marketing, that is, how consumers will receive the finished work.

Ways in

Pay · Job openings · AI and this job

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Questions people ask

How do I become a Graphic Designer?

No particular qualification is required to start, but you need a certain level of creative ability, having learned basic visual expression, colour theory and layout at an art university, senmon gakko (vocational college) or similar. People usually join an advertising agency or design studio after finishing their studies, but some become assistants to graphic designers who already work freelance. You start with simple tasks, such as making parts of a design like illustrations, and are gradually given harder work. After gaining experience as an assistant, it takes 2 to 5 years on average to become fully skilled. After that, some go independent as freelancers or set up studios with colleagues. These days less work is done by hand and most is done on computers. The ability to use DTP and CAD well is needed. Rich creativity and design skill to produce work and the flexibility to think freely are important, but conveying the image you want to express accurately needs technical skill behind it. You work with others, so cooperation is also needed. Graphic design techniques are advancing and changing fast, so you also need to make the effort to see lots of work, deepen your knowledge of printing and websites, and study and master new techniques. You are also expected to take an interest in marketing, that is, how consumers will receive the finished work.

How much does a Graphic Designer earn in Japan?

Average annual income in the private sector, bonus included, is ¥5,395,800 (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare). The figure is for the wage survey group Designers, which covers several jobs.

Do you need a degree to become a Graphic Designer?

Not always. In this job's census occupation group, 46% of workers are university graduates. Ways in include: Vocational college (専門学校) course: Design.

Will AI change the work of a Graphic Designer?

Generative AI could change some tasks in this job, by the ILO's global estimate.

Sources

独立行政法人労働政策研究・研修機構（JILPT）作成 職業情報データベース 解説系ダウンロードデータ（IPD_DL_description_7_01.xlsx）ver.7.01 職業情報提供サイト（job tag）より2026年10月4日にダウンロード（https://shigoto.mhlw.go.jp/User/download）を加工して作成

独立行政法人労働政策研究・研修機構（JILPT）作成 職業情報データベース 簡易版数値系ダウンロードデータ（IPD_DL_numeric_7_00.xlsx）ver.7.00 職業情報提供サイト（job tag）より2026年10月4日にダウンロード（https://shigoto.mhlw.go.jp/User/download）を加工して作成

Sources: JILPT Occupational Information Database download data via job tag (解説系 ver.7.01 and 簡易版数値系 ver.7.00, downloaded 4 October 2026), processed by Peernovo; MHLW, Basic Survey on Wage Structure 2025; Statistics Bureau of Japan, 2020 Population Census; MEXT, School Basic Survey 2025; MHLW, Employment Referrals for General Workers (Hello Work statistics). Figures processed by Peernovo. English job names, translations and the matching of jobs to statistical groups, schools and degree fields by Peernovo.

Updated 4 October 2026