Senior Designer in Midwest
- Started
- Last post
- 15 Responses
- gramme
Trying to determine what I would ask for if offered such a position, since I'm getting back into the interview world and it's been a few years. According to the AIGA survey, SDs in 2008 were making around $65k, national average.
Based on what (many of) you know about my skills, what would you consider to be a fair salary in a midwestern design firm? Is 65 high or low for a senior designer?
- monospaced0
Ask for $75K
- duckofrubber0
Possibly high, from my experience, but it's really going to depend on the company/agency.
- graphiknature0
I think it depends on the agency. In MO if you get 75k for a senior design position I would be very surprised. I'm from STL and moved to NYC. I'm still not making 75k and held a senior position in STL.
- jaylarson0
50-60k
- duckofrubber0
- I forgot about those guys. My old Art Director is good friends with the owner.graphiknature
- I'm already aware of this one, but thanks duck! :)gramme
- oyeahman0
$8/hr
senior in college designer: i'm pwnd- senior designer and senior-in-college designer are two totally different things.bulletfactory
- bulletfactory0
in KC i would say 60-70k would be a competitive rate depending on experience and size of the company / clientele.
- but jaylarson is right - you'd probably be on the top-side of the scale.bulletfactory
- Seanbot0
60k if you are new to the position. 65k if you have been a senior in an agency for 2+ years.
- Sounds more reasonable.canuck
- This sounds about right to me and I'm from STL.graphiknature
- well, I've been at a firm where there's no hierarchy, but I've been doing the job of a senior, more or less, for 2+ yrs.gramme
- (we all had the same job title)gramme
- gramme0
I've been working FT in design since 2003. One year in-house, four years in agency/studio environment. The last three years in particular have been great experience for me, by the time I left I was doing some of the press checks for my projects by myself. Had experience w/ art direction, direction client & vendor interaction. I also was involved in trying to drum up business for the firm. I only brought one client in, and it didn't pay much, but it was a nice piece for the firm's portfolio.
- haha, that adds up to 5 years. Throw in roughly 1 yr. freelancing.gramme
- wordsinyourmouth0
90 k
- +wordsinyourmouth
- Ha! I wish, that would let my wife stay home full time with our son, which is our eventual goa. Maybe if I was in NYC...gramme
- seriouslywordsinyourmouth
- I'm pretty sure a firm around here would laugh at me if I asked for 90k, unless it was a design director position.gramme
- HAH. 90k. per 2 years, yes. lol.akrokdesign
- ukit0
Are you determined to stay in STL? Seems like other areas might offer better pay/ opportunities.
- gramme0
^
Not in the long run. But right now, I have a four month-old son, a wife who's very close with her family, and a mortgage that needs at least another year paid into it, if not more, before we can even think about selling.Eventually I'd love to get back east, California is nice but too expensive. Atlanta is an option. A lot of firms there. It's in the south, which would win points with my wife, but it's also metropolitan enough to keep me interested. No waves nearby, but a weekend trip will get me to Jacksonville, which is certainly better than my current location.
- I would never live in Atlanta. But I'm from Nashville, so that might have something to do with it.duckofrubber
- selling isn't very good at the moment either. as prices are down.akrokdesign
- exactly.gramme
- monospaced0
Asking for and expecting are two different things. It's good to ask for 10% more than your best situation. If they have a number in mind they'll let you know. Never hurts in the end to aim high.