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Alamo Colleges DistrictCareer Explorer

Graphic Designers

Part of Arts, Audio/Video Technology & Communications, in the Visual Arts pathway.

Job zone 4: considerable preparationO*NET 27-1024.00

What the work is

Design or create graphics to meet specific commercial or promotional needs, such as packaging, displays, or logos. May use a variety of mediums to achieve artistic or decorative effects.

On a typical day

  • Create designs, concepts, and sample layouts, based on knowledge of layout principles and esthetic design concepts.
  • Determine size and arrangement of illustrative material and copy, and select style and size of type.
  • Use computer software to generate new images.
  • Mark up, paste, and assemble final layouts to prepare layouts for printer.
  • Draw and print charts, graphs, illustrations, and other artwork, using computer.
  • Review final layouts and suggest improvements, as needed.

What it pays

$59,710
Median pay per year, San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX metro
New workers start near $37,180
Experienced workers reach $95,680
  1. $37k10th
  2. $47k25th
  3. $60kMedian
  4. $78k75th
  5. $96k90th
Wage percentiles: 10th $37,180, 25th $46,870, Median $59,710, 75th $78,210, 90th $95,680

About 970 people do this job in the San Antonio area.

Job outlook

Alamo region (Bexar and 12 surrounding counties), Texas Workforce Commission projection 2024 to 2034. U.S. figures from the BLS for comparison.

+17.7%

employment change in the Alamo region, 1,551 to 1,826 jobs · U.S. +2%

151

openings a year in the Alamo region, from growth and people leaving · U.S. 20,000

1,551

employed in the Alamo region in 2024 · U.S. 265,900

Typical entry education: Bachelor's degree

Skills this career uses

The skills O*NET rates most important for the job, with how much of each the work needs on a 1 to 7 scale.

  1. Active Listening3.3
  2. Speaking3.8
  3. Critical Thinking3.9
  4. Active Learning3.3
  5. Writing3.0
  6. Reading Comprehension3.8
  7. Coordination3.1
  8. Complex Problem Solving3.1

Education people in this job have

Share of workers by highest education, from O*NET surveys. It shows what others did, not what you must do.

  1. High school or less15%
  2. Some college5%
  3. Associate degree5%
  4. Bachelor's degree65%
  5. Master's degree10%

Job zone 4, considerable preparation: Usually a bachelor's degree, sometimes a strong associate plus experience.

Alamo programs that lead here

  • Northeast Lakeview
  • St. Philip's
  • San Antonio
  1. Digital Art

    Transfer pre-major · Creative & Communication Arts

  2. Digital Arts and Media

    Transfer pre-major · Creative & Communication Arts

  3. Digital Arts and Media

    Transfer pre-major · Creative & Communication Arts

  4. Communication Design

    Degree · Certificate · Creative & Communication Arts

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