How to become a graphic and multimedia designer
Official title: Graphic and multimedia designers
Also called: Designer, 3d designer, Art designer, Graphic artist, Advert designer, Digital designer, Display designer, Graphic designer, Graphics officer, Graphics assistant, Designer's copyist, Exhibition designer
Graphic and multimedia designers use illustrative, sound, visual and multimedia techniques to convey a message for information, entertainment, advertising, promotion or publicity purposes, and create special visual effects, 3D models and animations for computer games, film, interactive and other media.
Main tasks
- Liaises with client to clarify aims of project brief, discusses media, software and technology to be used, establishes timetable for project and defines budgetary constraints
- Undertakes research into project, considers previous related projects and compares costs of using different processes
- Prepares sketches, scale drawings, models, colour schemes and other mock-ups to show clients and discusses any required alterations
- Prepares specification and instructions for realisation of the project
- Liaises with other parts of the production team to ensure graphic design fits with other elements, processes and timescales
- Produces or oversees creation of the final product
How to become one
Entrants have usually completed a foundation course, a BTEC/SQA award, a degree and/or postgraduate qualification. NVQs/SVQs in Design (in various disciplines) are available at levels 2 and 3. Portfolio work is also important for entry.
Ways in
- Apprenticeship (England): Creative digital design professional (integrated degree) (level 6). England. Typically 36 months. Skills England standard ST0625.
- Apprenticeship (England): Junior animator (level 4). England. Typically 18 months. Skills England standard ST0488.
- Apprenticeship (England): VFX supervisor (level 7). England. Typically 18 months. Skills England standard ST0901.
- University: Creative Arts & Design degrees, Offered by 26 universities in the UK
- University: Computing & IT degrees, Offered by 26 universities in the UK
Pay · Outlook
- Median full-time pay: £32,510 a year The middle half earn £26,854 to £40,000.
- About 108,300 people work in this job now, and about 120,300 are projected by 2035. (+11.1%)
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Questions people ask
How do I become a graphic and multimedia designer?
Entrants have usually completed a foundation course, a BTEC/SQA award, a degree and/or postgraduate qualification. NVQs/SVQs in Design (in various disciplines) are available at levels 2 and 3. Portfolio work is also important for entry.
How much does a graphic and multimedia designer earn in the UK?
Median full-time pay is £32,510 a year (Office for National Statistics). The middle half earn £26,854 to £40,000.
Is a graphic and multimedia designer a growing career in the UK?
Yes. Employment is projected to grow 11% by 2035, from about 108,300 to about 120,300 people (Department for Education).
Do you need a degree to become a graphic and multimedia designer?
Usually. 78% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher.
Sources
- Office for National Statistics: Annual Population Survey: employment by occupation (April 2025 to March 2026), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
- Office for National Statistics: SOC 2020 Volume 1: structure and descriptions (2026-08-27 edition), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
- Department for Education: Skills Imperative 2035: employment projections by occupation (2021 to 2035 (Warwick IER / Cambridge Econometrics)), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
- Office for National Statistics: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14 (2025 provisional), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
Updated 2026-10-03
Graduate outcomes: Discover Uni dataset, HESA (www.hesa.ac.uk), licensed under CC BY 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0). Aggregated by subject and adapted by Peernovo.