How to become a graphic designer in Australia
Graphic Designers plan, design, develop and prepare information for publication and reproduction using text, symbols, pictures, colours and layout to achieve commercial and communication needs with particular emphasis on tailoring the message for the intended audience.
Pay and growth are for the wider graphic and web designers, and illustrators group, which is as fine as the data goes. The all-jobs median is $1,852 a week. Jobs in the graphic and web designers, and illustrators group are projected to grow 19.0% between May 2025 and May 2035, faster than the 13.3% projected for all jobs. Projections are indicative, not forecasts, and JSA says they don't yet reflect generative AI.
What the job involves
- Determines the objectives and constraints of the design brief by consulting with clients and stakeholders.
- Undertakes research and analyses functional communication requirements.
- Formulates design concepts for the subject to be communicated.
- Prepares sketches, diagrams, illustrations and layouts to communicate design concepts.
- Negotiates design solutions with clients, management, sales and production staff.
- Selects, specifies or recommends functional and aesthetic materials and media for publication, delivery or display.
How to get there
What it usually takes. A bachelor degree or higher. This is the skill level Jobs and Skills Australia gives the graphic and web designers, and illustrators group, and some roles differ.
What people in the job have. Highest qualification held: 57% a degree or higher, 24% a diploma, 7% a Certificate III or IV.
Many jobs also need registration, a licence or a specific accredited course. Check the professional body or regulator before you choose.
Courses that can lead here
Estimate your ATAR and this page shows the gap to each course. Your marks stay on your device.
Victoria15 matches
VTAC lowest selection ranks, December 2025 offer round.
Communication Design (Honours) · Swinburne, Hawthorn75.25 Design (Communication Design major) · Swinburne, Hawthorn63.75 Design (Communication Design major) · Deakin, Melbourne Burwood60.90Diplomas and other ways in
Showing 9 of 15 matches. Search every course.
NSW and ACT14 matches
UAC lowest selection ranks, December Round 2, 2025-26 admissions.
Bachelor of Design in Visual Communication · UTS81.15 Bachelor of Visual Communication Design · Newcastle63.10 Bachelor of Design (Visual Communication) · Western Sydney60.05 Bachelor of Design in Visual Communication Bachelor of Creative Intelligence and Innovation · UTS81.45Diplomas and other ways in
Diploma in Media and Visual Communication · Newcastle50.70Showing 8 of 14 matches. Search every course.
Queensland19 matches
QTAC course pages, ATAR/Selection Rank profile for semester 1, 2026.
Diplomas and other ways in
Showing 6 of 19 matches. Search every course.
Western Australia4 matches
TISC Course Search: lowest ATAR offered for 2026 entry and guaranteed offer ATARs.
Bachelor of Geographical and Spatial Science and Master of Environmental Science · UWA, Perth90.00 guaranteed Bachelor of Geographical and Spatial Science · UWA, Perth80.00 guaranteed Bachelor of Creative Media in Graphic Design · Murdoch, Perth70.00 guaranteed Bachelor of Design in Graphic Design · Curtin, Perth60.20Matched on course names, 52 across four admissions centres. A lowest selection rank includes adjustment points and moves every year. Check prerequisites and whether the course is accredited for this job.
Graduate outcomes, national
Undergraduates surveyed about four to six months after finishing, in 2025, across all providers. Full-time work is among those available for it. All graduates: 75.4% and $77,000. These are national figures for the study area, not for this course or uni, and a first-year salary says little about later pay. Source: QILT Graduate Outcomes Survey 2025.
Does it fit your interests?
Strongest interest areas for this kind of work: Artistic, Conventional, Enterprising.
From O*NET ratings for "Graphic Designers", the closest US occupation in JSA's correspondence (a good match). US ratings are a guide to Australian jobs, not a measurement of them.
Careers with similar interests
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Share your storyJob data: © Commonwealth of Australia, Jobs and Skills Australia occupation profiles, February 2026 and Employment Projections, May 2025 to May 2035 (Victoria University), CC BY 4.0. Jobs and Skills Australia, ANZSCO 2013 Version 1.2 to O*NET-SOC 2019 Taxonomy correspondence.
Graduate outcomes: QILT Graduate Outcomes Survey 2025, National Report Tables (Social Research Centre, for the Australian Government).
This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. Curve ATAR has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.