So you want to become a Visual/UI Designer. That’s a good pick. A career in this direction offers strong job satisfaction and the opportunity to work on interesting projects. But that’s not all. Working as a UI designer provides many opportunities for job growth. With more small and medium businesses looking to increase their digital footprint with web and mobile applications, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects a 20-percent growth for job opportunities of visual designers working in the computer design and related services industry.
I...more
See results by role, experience, and location.
Data is from real (not self-reported) interviews and offers on Hired.
We've got salaries for other top technical roles, too.
Explore Salaries
Whether you're looking for a new job or want to land your next
promotion, salary negotiation is a critical career skill.
Our complete Salary Negotiation Guide will make sure you're prepared
to land the salary you deserve, articulate your skills, and common
mistakes to avoid during the interview process.
We've collected tons of information on salaries, compensation, negotiation and more. See even more on our blog.
Unless you’re a robot, it’s all but impossible to avoid having work stress. But it’s not impossible to avoid taking those feelings home with you at the end of the day and really lean into work-life balance. True leisure time, in which anxiety and frustration over work can be set aside until you’re next at… Read More
The average person will reportedly spend more than 90,000 hours of life at work — more than any other activity outside of sleeping. You will encounter days and even extended periods when the actual act of doing your work is hard to reconcile with the other things occupying your brain. Put simply: Sometimes work is… Read More
Although we’ve made tremendous strides in gender equality, data shows we still have a long way to go, especially when it comes to pay. The gender wage gap represents the difference in salaries between men and women. Pew Research Center shared that it hasn’t changed much in the past two decades in the US. In… Read More
It felt like not long ago employers were eager to fill open roles in anticipation of accelerated growth. Now, jobseekers are feeling the pinch of tough job markets between layoffs and a hiring slowdown due to market shifts. Whether you are unemployed, underemployed, or feeling complacent in a role, it’s easy to feel the effects… Read More
One of the most undervalued but beneficial resources any professional can have during their career is a mentor. In an increasingly competitive world of work, a combination of emotional intelligence, a refined skill set, and a great network will drive your career’s growth trajectory. If you speak with any accomplished (senior) professional, the last piece… Read More
Do you dread going to work in the morning? You might not dislike your actual job, but the culture or environment of your workplace itself. Unfortunately, a toxic workplace is all too common and can be difficult to handle. You’ve got an inbox full of real work to do. Yet, you spend much of your… Read More
Can you share a little bit about your educational background? I have a Bachelor’s in Computer Science from Hampshire College. I also have 40+ years of self-learning new technologies as I worked in the tech industry. My BA has had the biggest impact on my career. I was able to spend a year working at… Read More
Can you share a little bit about your educational background? I have a Master’s degree in computer control systems from 1995. I also completed some postgrad studies in visual programming (one of the fashions of the day). As a junior developer, I pursued various certifications (Java, SQL, HTML, etc). Eventually, my work history became a… Read More
Can you share a little bit about your educational background? I graduated with a B.S. in Computer Science from Brandeis University. I also worked at the IT Help Desk while at school, and had an engineering internship my junior year summer. Having a solid foundation during my B.S. Computer Science degree made the biggest impact… Read More
Answer a few questions to complete your profile.
Companies request interviews with upfront compensation.
Find your dream job!
So you want to become a Visual/UI Designer. That’s a good pick. A career in this direction offers strong job satisfaction and the opportunity to work on interesting projects. But that’s not all. Working as a UI designer provides many opportunities for job growth. With more small and medium businesses looking to increase their digital footprint with web and mobile applications, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects a 20-percent growth for job opportunities of visual designers working in the computer design and related services industry.
It never hurts to start your career early. If you’re in still in high-school, you can begin enrolling for classes in core subjects like website design, graphics arts and drawing. You can also build your early experience by getting involved in design projects in school, such as producing the yearbook or redesigning the school’s website.
It’s possible to get a job without a degree, but stiff market competition means that you’re likely to face a harder time getting an entry-level position (especially without experience). Most recruiters prefer candidates with an associate or bachelor’s degree in graphic design, digital arts or a related field because this guarantees that the designer has a more complete education covering a range of subjects including the principles of design.
A solid resume is a crucial part of any job search. Employers need a demonstration of your graphical skill and abilities. Create a solid portfolio that effectively reflects all your strengths and skills. If you don’t already have one, volunteer for different projects or take up pet projects. The best portfolios offer varied content, with an emphasis on quality over quantity.
Once hired, you’ll work alongside a team of designers and developers, combining technology and art to create visual components and product illustrations. Some of your duties may include presenting design concepts to clients, designing layouts, reviewing designs and creating visual elements such as illustrations and logos. As your skill improves and your advance to mid-level positions your job duties may be expanded to include creating reports for senior execs, mentoring junior level designers and taking the lead on UI projects. In addition to your hard skill, some of the minimum requirements you’ll need to succeed in your job include:
Depending on the size of the company, the duties of a Visual/UI designer may include a broad spectrum of tasks—starting with product research and ending with product testing. One way of preparing your rise to this position is by expanding your knowledge of some of the industrial tools. In addition to imaging applications like Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator, you’ll need to expand your digital toolbox to include useful applications that can help when mind mapping, prototyping, flow-charting and more. Some of the common tools valued by professional UX designers include:
Finally, don’t just focus on the technical skill. UX design doesn’t occur in isolation. Companies rely on effective UX designs to help boost their business. Understanding how companies work and leaders think will make it easier for you to create a winning strategy that they can appreciate.
We’ve done the research for you. After evaluating numerous job descriptions, we’ve written our own representative job description for a mid-level Visual/UI Designer with between 2 and 5 years of relevant experience.
We’re looking for creative Visual/UI Designer to shape the design and user interface of our product. You’ll be responsible for creating and designing digital elements that optimize user experience and interaction. As our senior UI designer, you’ll collaborate with a team of copywriters, product managers, developers, researchers and digital artists. If you enjoy creating aesthetically pleasing designs then this job is for you.
After more than 10 years in the field, most UX professionals find that they have enough technical skills to advance to a new job or position. To make the most of your career growth, you should consider the part of your job that you’re good at and the parts that you enjoy. Do you launch your own studio or move into management? Figuring out your strengths will also reveal your best transferable skills. If you’re not sure, ask a colleague or close friend for advice.
Adobe Photoshop is the mode widely used photo editing and image manipulation application in the world. It is used by designers and hobbyists worldwide to design products, advertising, applications, websites, art, and more.
PHP is a widely-used open-source scripting language that has seen wide use in web application development. PHP code must be processed by an interpreter like the Zend Engine. With a strong open-source community and large adoption world-wide, PHP ...
JavaScript is a scripting language, originally implemented in web browsers, but now widely used server-side via the Node.js platform. It supports a runtime system based on numerical, Boolean and string values, with built-in, first-class support f...
HTML, or HyperText Markup Language, is a markup language derived from SGML, used to describe web sites and applications to be run in a common web browser. Invented in 1993 by Sir Tim Berners-Lee, HTML documents are broken up into HTML elements, w...
CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) describes how HTML elements are displayed. Along with JavaScript and HTML, CSS is one of the cornerstones of front-end web development. CSS separates presentation and content, allowing styles to be defined and used t...
Python is an object-oriented programming language notable for its clarity, power and flexibility. Python is an interpreted language, meaning that an interpreter reads and runs the code directly, rather than compiling down into static lower level c...
Java is a statically-typed, cross-platform language. It is concurrent, class-based, and object-oriented. It has minimal implementation dependencies and compiled Java code can run on all platforms that support Java without the need for recompilat...
C++ is an object-oriented language derived from C, and invented by Bjarne Stroustrup, while working at AT&T's Bell Labs. It is widely used for systems-level programming, and building applications on Windows and various Unix operating systems (Lin...
C is a widely used low-level, static-typed, compiled computer language known for its efficiency. Developed in the late sixties, C has become one of the most widely used languages of all time. It provides direct access to memory and due to its de...
The Electronics Industry has grown into a global industry with a value of billions of dollars. Most commonly when referring to the electronics industry it is understood the industry is consumer electronics which produces items used in everyday lif...
The marketplace industry is made up of digital platform companies that exist to connect business owners with consumers and facilitate trade. It is an ever-growing sector, with marketplace businesses like Lyft, GrubHub, Etsy and UpWork replacing...
The retail landscape has changed dramatically over the past few decades. Retail was once a brick-and-mortar industry, comprised of small, independently owned-and-operated businesses and large chain stores with multiple outposts throughout the c...
The education industry involves working in an environment that implements and teaches various skills and applicable material. Formal education typically involves various levels of education, including preschool, primary, secondary, tertiary, vo...
Analytics and Business Intelligence roles are often confused but are also directly linked. Data that is collected when a user interacts with a system is then cleaned and stored. That data is then accessed using reports and graphical dashboards. Th...