How Much Is the Average UI Designer Salary

When changing careers to a UI designer, there are many factors to consider, such as what tasks you will do according to your skills. Then, of course, there will be UI designer salary questions. Because when considering a new job, the salary can be the most influential factor. Naturally, you will want to gauge the earning potential of a UI design career. However, how much you will earn depends on your experiences, location, and whether you are a freelancer or work in-house. With that in mind, you can start talking figures.

 

UI Designer Salary across the World

There is increasing global demand for UI and UX designers, especially in regions such as Australia, Europe, Canada, and the United States. The demand exceeds the supply for those skilled professionals in many countries.

A competition for UI professionals and a global skills shortage is driving UI designer salary increases, especially for senior and mid-level positions. In Dublin, for example, which is a European tech capital, the amount of UI designer salary is about €46,000 per year.

To give an idea of the earning potential, the following list is the average amount of UI design salary according to data from Indeed, Glassdoor, and PayScale. To make the comparison easier, these are average salaries listed in both US dollars and local currency (updated in 2021):

1. USA: $83,623
2. UK: £53,834 ($74,710 USD)
3. Australia: 95, 089 AUD ($73,684 USD)
4. Germany: €55,390 ($65,948 USD)
5. Canada: $59,882 ($47,915 USD)
6. India: Rs 286,450 ($3,955 USD)

Precise salary information is a little hard to come by in this industry, and your actual earning as a UI designer may be above or below these numbers depending on the exact skill you offer and your career stage. However, it provides a great benchmark, especially if you are a newbie to the field.

 

How to Deal With Your First Salary Negotiation

So you have already landed an interview or maybe applying for a first job as a UI designer. With little experience or not at all in the UI job market, you are hesitant about how to pitch your salary expectations. In any industry, this is actually a common issue.

With a little research, you can prepare a rough idea. Sites like PayScale and Glassdoor can help you demonstrate your chosen industry. Before coming to the interview as a junior UI designer or any specific job position, research the job title according to your position.

You will see what other people are getting with this job title, and, along with the designer salary snippets mentioned above, start measuring how much the possible figure is. It also can be helpful to talk to other people in the industry.

Doing a salaries discussion may not be easy, but if you are close with an experienced designer, they may be happy to explain to you what their starting salary is or tell you what kinds of numbers you can aim for.

 

Common Mistakes in UI Designer Salary Negotiations

One meeting that stresses people out is salary negotiation. Whether you have been for years at your career job or you are interviewing for a new job as a UI designer, those awkward conversations must be avoided to perform your best.

1. Lack of Research

Most designers determine their salary based on their last job because employers usually use it as a benchmark. If you can prove your worth, you run the risk of losing the designer salary the employer is willing to pay you when you do that. These are three situations that you should avoid during a negotiation:

1. Enter too high and offend the employer unintentionally.
2. Get in too low and shoot yourself in the leg.
3. Unable to justify why you want a higher designer salary range.

2. Negotiate for a Higher Salary

Going in, it seems that the amount of money that will be paid each year is the only focus. But, there are still many other things that should be noticed during negotiations. Also, try to focus on other things, not just your base salary, including remote work options, paid time, and bonuses.

Finally, you may not be fully your base designer salary, but other things you can negotiate on in your deal can give you a better package overall. For calculating paid time off, you can use the PTO calculator app for Android, which can determine your PTO based on your earning and balance.

 

3. Ignore Salary Completely

Even if you don't want to focus solely on designer salary, don't let that go away. Be careful don't go too high while also aiming high. For instance, try asking $51,500 instead of asking for $50,000. If anything, you can make the impression that you are valuable enough and won't settle for anything less.

4. Let a Figure Suggested First by Your Boss

Letting the first number thrown out by your potential employer seems intuitive. But that will not work in every situation. In most cases, some businesses won't make a formal offer or continue to talk unless they know what the UI designer is looking for in advance.

There are various opinions on this issue. Some say that a first payroll number shouldn't be offered by you, while others insist that if you don't make a starting point, employers won't take you seriously.

Being between the two is likely the safest bet. Get a good feel of the people or the person you are negotiating with and do what appropriate things.

The PayScale website is one good resource that can determine how much you are worth. Based on your location and job title, you will be taken through a survey, and then a free report that includes salary info about who are similar to you and the designer salary range for your job will be generated.

 

5. Challenge the Offer

Whether you disagree with the offers given by the employer or not, asking how they got that is OK. Tell them that you know other people are making this much in the same position as a UI designer. Your experience is valuable in your mind, so how do they offer the amount?

Use credible sources like the Bureau of Labor Statistics to back up the plan of designer salary figures you want to throw out. 

Candidates who ask questions will always be appreciated by employers. You won't offend somebody, no worries. Your efforts and curiosity will likely be appreciated by them for transparency.

Thanks to the JobInterview Question-Answer app, which is a great tool that can help you to prepare yourself to face the job interview. You can improve your negotiating and interviewing skills with this simple video app. Or at least, you will feel more comfortable and confident going in.

6. Accept the First Offer and be Agreeable

Because of a reason, it is called negotiation. But the meaning is not about jumping eagerly at the first honorable offer. You don't want to risk a withdrawal by shooting too high, but you also don't want to value yourself short. A little back-and-forth is involved in the negotiation.

A person who simply nods and then says "yes" without arguing on anything is either naïve or, worse, hopeless. 

Whenever a candidate is too agreeable, an employer may think that you are out of options, and your reluctance to engage in the take or give indicates how you will interact with vendors and customers.

Collective genius stems from constructive conflict, which is when deeper questions are asked and explored. And often, people that have agreeable personalities won't engage in that process. 

A smiling face won't put you off balance for all of these reasons. Negotiation of a designer salary is all about the value and influence you bring and leverage.

 

7. Say, "This Is My Final Offer."

Surely, making statements that sound like threats needs to be avoided. They may sound ominous, and you likely won't believe them at first. There ways to be fair and assertive without overdoing it. There are also needs to avoid saying as well for other things.

8. Sound Too Prepared

It is good to feel confident when negotiating. Is there any better way to do this than to find out how you compare to other employees in the same position? There may be a thought that somebody needs to show a good poker face when negotiating a UI designer salary.

We don't want to appear too prepared and thus come across as hopeless. But, it is important to point out the latest salary data and statistics about your position. Before negotiating your designer salary, take few days to research the following information:

1. What is the average UI designer salary in your industry with similar work experience?
2. Does your industry exist with a gender-income gap?
3. How does the standard of living in your city influence your salary?
4. What specific experiences or skills do you have that might make you more valuable?
5. How does the UI designer salary of this company and their competitors compare?

 

How to find salary information online?

A site like Glassdoor can be used to find the information. You can search UI designer salary data by industry on that site. The career benchmarking sites have an up-to-date archive and a good reputation for career information. It only takes a few seconds to sign up for free and is worth the time.

You also can know your value in the context of today's job market and your market value by using a personalized salary estimate calculator tool on the site. You also can choose another app like Wagespot to access national UI designer salary information. Thanks to this app, employers do not keep their wages a secret and help each other to understand the industry inequality. Employees provide real designer salary data in Wagespot that are accessible, and you also can perform payroll searches. Moreover, you can remain anonymous on the app.

 

Increase Earning Potential as a UI Designer

Many people think that having a job is the only method to make money. If you want to earn money or even get rich, or just have more financial security for your family and yourself, considering adding passive incomes will be wise.

1. Master Multifunctional Skills

Improving and developing your skill is the key to increasing your earning potential. While UX and UI are very separate roles, they are not uncommon to be advertised as one entity by employers. 

There are more hybrid job titles in the market, such as both classic UI design knowledge and skills of programming languages and fronted web development required by those of UI developers. As you gain more experience in the industry, you may expect to be paid more by moving into a hybrid role.

However, to get a decent amount of UI designer salary, you don't need to master every skill in the industry. Your solid portfolio can demonstrate the skills employers are looking for and prove your worth only as a UI designer.

 

2. Fiverr and Freelance Job Sites

A great online marketplace around the world with low-cost providers for freelance services is Fiverr. Sellers can offer services and skills at a fixed price in Fiverr. You will find sellers who sell almost any service such as logo design, UI/UX design, article writer, and many more.

Using freelance job sites is one of the fastest ways to find clients hiring design jobs and get a flow of the potential projects. Some recommended sites you can try are Upwork, Guru, FreeUp, PeoplePerHour, Toptal, and Freelancer.com. We will take Upwork as an example.

It can be a quick way to build your portfolio and get your clients. Whenever you need extra cash or have a lull with your clients, you can apply for jobs constantly.

Being a freelancer is like a competitive game. Surely you can be a winner if you understand the game. Here are some strategies for winning the game:

1. Begin with low prices and raise them gradually as you receive a few good reviews. Clients are more likely to seek out new people if they are more affordable.
2. Once you feel comfortable working with fewer clients, increase prices. Make more money from them.
3. Present your proposal or send a sample design that matches what the client asked for. Always refine your proposal.
4. If there is any message, respond fastly. Your ranking will be increased with this. Download the freelance app for the mobile to make it easier for you.
5. Response times, total work completion, and review will raise your UI designer profile. It can be very challenging in the beginning, but once you get the ball, it can be very profitable.
6. Share your work in PDF as well as your Behance and Dribble if you don't have a website.
7. You will rarely need to apply in Upwork if your profile gains momentum, as clients will often start contacting you directly.

Go to Upwork

Go to Fiverr

 

3. Sharing Content

You can start sharing your learnings and experiences on a blog or website. Continuously expand your knowledge and share various topics that you wish to cover.

The more you learn, the more content you can create. Designers at all levels can generate many benefits of their journey by creating content. Here are several tips that can help you:

1. Teaching is learning. There is perhaps a no better way to accelerate your progress as a growing designer than to share what you learn.
2. Make money from those contents.
3. Get opportunities for new jobs by building a personal brand.
4. Teach others and share your valuable knowledge.

Don't underestimate yourself or how much knowledge you have or how far you can contribute. Consider how you can use the unique skills or experiences as a platform to make extra money while educating others.

But, if blogging doesn't interest you, there are dozens of content types you can create, for instance:

1. Case studies for design projects
2. Online Courses
3. Write an Ebook
4. Tutorial, videos, or vlogs
5. Interviews
6. Podcast

 

4. YouTube

One of the ways to share tips or teach UI design is by using a YouTube channel. You even can use it as a platform to market your courses if you want to sell courses. 

Thanks to the AdSense platform that can give you potential designer salary income by getting a lot of viewers. You can also earn through the paid sponsorship.

 

5. Become a Consultant

A UI designer can serve as a consultant if only they have the right skills. Without having no experience, you cannot become a consultant. To provide consulting services, you need to be among the top in your field. If you are a beginner, people are not likely going to hire you to consult for their business.

 

Conclusion

As a UI designer who aspires to a high income, there are many things to do to achieve the salary goal. You have to consider a heightened understanding of the skills. Always know the latest trend in the industry, keep learning to keep ahead. And one great thing about being a designer is that more than one method can be combined to get multiple income streams. Undoubtedly, you can have a significant UI designer salary if you know the business strategy. 

So I hope you can enjoy lots of information in this article. If you have any comments, feel free to fill in the section below. Have a great day & cheers!