How's the salary for a designer at an agency. Let's say you're not doing complex work, decks photos hop and illustrator here and there? Can you later expand to other career options within creative?

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It *is* a real job. Some people actually like doing the work. What we don't like is being demeaned by hot-headed art directors who think they're god's gift.

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It's totally possible! You need more education, though, if you want to be an AD. Take a class on concept development and partnering with copywriters, meet with a CD or ACD to find more learning opportunities, build up a conceptual portfolio, find a mentor, evolve your design skills and let your manager know about your career plans. Not all agencies are the same so be open to going somewhere else to move up. Good luck out there!

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Thanks for sharing! I'm just at a pivotal moment where I have to choose what I'm going to be doing. Thanks

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No one said it isn't a real job. I said it would be difficult to go from a studio-type position to a true designer position at many agencies, let alone an art director role.

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I think you can. I'm proof - started as a designer, now look at me! My salary increased along with my title. Really depends on the clients + asking to help out wherever...on pitches etc. Just gotta speak up if that is what you're interested in.

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I'll share my salary since that's the original ask here. 65k. I have a shit ton of experience but I'm ok with not being high on the food chain. I leave at 5 most days and take an hour break. I do my own work in my own time. I have a life and no debt and my own place. So many ADs here have stuck their nose up at this "low" salary without any context as to how I/others choose to live life.

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Do what you love (most)! Good luck!

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I started as a jr. designer and was basically treated like an entry level studio person. Boring stuff. I made the decision to go to portfolio school to really learn how to concept, get some mentors in my life, and most importantly build a portfolio to showcase my capabilities. And here we are, 3 years later. Worth it.

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@LB1, incredibly fast with pristine accuracy? You're a unicorn. I would kill to have you on my team.

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Would certainly be hard to transition to Art Director the longer they waited. Designers get pigeonholed to design-only super early on and often aren't seen as concepting people, just someone to finish up / clean up an art director's concept so they can focus on concepting more. If you're a designer who solely is doing decks and vectors, you're basically fucked. You'd be lucky to get a real designer job at any decent agency because you're basically an entry-level studio person.

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Yeah if you love it, do it. I've noticed that people here actually do appreciate my ability to work incredibly fast with pristine accuracy. People request me to be their designer because they know I'm good. It's redeeming.

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My current partner is a Design Director with a background in systematic (vs. campaign). My background is campaign. We got teamed up to work on a more conceptually-driven project and she loved it so much that we now move between both "types" of work, giving her more opportunities to act as a Senior Art Director — with a great salary. Definitely agree with everyone who's saying "just ask." If the option is there and you voice an eager willingness to expand your role, it's never too late to transition.

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I know right? 🦄

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Thank you for the honest feed back . That's exactly what I was thinking, it would confine you to just that and nothing else. Damn shame.

It's possible, but uncommon. And more difficult the longer they wait. A friend of mine transitioned as a junior and she fought insanely hard for it (even got kicked off her account by her CD) and was incredibly hardworking and incredibly talented. She was always asking for extra work and never complained. Hell, she actually trained pretty much every new creative that came on after her at any level. Took about a year and a switch to a shit account before she finally got switched to Jr. AD. It wasn't even at a traditional agency, it was digital/CRM, so basically 90% emails. That whole situation and how she was treated pissed me off so much.

Lucky. You really have to know concept and beyond tho. Ability to visualize and critique and tackle the problem with the image. How experienced are ya senior AD.?

6 years!

Yes now, that said, if anyone's hiring a unicorn production designer or something close to it, I'm all ears.

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