How to become a graphic designer
Official title: Graphic designer
Also called: Advertising illustrator, Book illustrator, Commercial illustrator, Graphic artist, Internet graphic designer, Poster artist, Typographical designer, Visual communications designer, Visualiser, Web graphic designer, Advertising illustrator, Graphic artist
Graphic designer conceptualises, develops and refines design solutions according to design briefs. He/she designs and produces applied design artwork, illustrations and graphic documents using a range of manual and digital techniques and media to communicate concepts and ideas.
Main tasks
- Determining the objectives and constraints of the design brief by consulting with clients and stakeholders
- Undertaking research and analysing functional communication requirements
- Formulating design concepts for the subject to be communicated
- Preparing sketches, diagrams, illustrations and layouts to communicate design concepts
- Designing complex graphics and animation to satisfy functional, aesthetic and creative requirements of the design brief
- Negotiating design solutions with clients, management, sales and production staff
- Selecting, specifying or recommending functional and aesthetic materials and media for publication, delivery or display
Ways in
- University: Creative Arts & Design degrees, Offered by 4 universities in Singapore
Pay · Outlook · AI and this job
- Median pay: $45,180 a year. The middle half earn $36,120 to $53,952 a year.
- Generative AI could change some tasks in this job, by the ILO's global estimate.
Related jobs
- Multimedia designer/artist/animator
- Building architect
- Landscape architect
- Landscape designer
- Fashion designer
- Product/Industrial designer
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Questions people ask
How do I become a graphic designer?
Ways in include: Creative Arts & Design degrees.
How much does a graphic designer earn in Singapore?
Median full-time pay is $45,180 a year (Ministry of Manpower (via data.gov.sg)). The middle half earn $36,120 to $53,952.
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
- Ministry of Manpower (via data.gov.sg): Resident Occupational Wages (Occupational Wage Survey) (June 2024 (data.gov.sg update 2026-04-01)), Singapore Open Data Licence v1.0, retrieved 4 October 2026
- International Labour Organization, Generative AI and Jobs: A Refined Global Index of Occupational Exposure (ILO Working Paper 140, Gmyrek et al.) (ILO Working Paper 140, May 2025, Annex Table A1), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026
Updated 4 October 2026