I was hired in my first full time position as a Visual Designer on a UX team with a salary of 60k in Boston. Is this normal? I thought UX roles earned more but my role is considered Visual design?

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I started as entry level UX in Chicago in 2012 and was earning 35k. 60k seems standard if not generous unless you have previous work experience.

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UX does get more. Visual Designer (just out of school) at 60K is pretty on pair here in NYC. Be clear about your role and what you are asked to do. Be clear on expectations for the positions and the path for advancement. Could be this is a way to get you into the team and learn more UX. It is ok to set a time with your manager on expectations of what they want from you and what you want out of the job. Shows passion, but follow that up with hard work and desire to learn.

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The good news is that if you already have a visual design skill set, you can absorb a more UX mindset by paying close attention, reading books, and attending workshops. Make sure you learn how to design for different CMSs. If your team does usability research, raise your hand to plan, observe and take notes. I came into UX by way of content strategy, so I’m still trying to get my skills up in UI. It’s way easier for people who are visual designers to get that UX/UI title than the other way around. The thing that bums me out is that most will just kinda do UI work for a couple years and then assume they can speak to UX without really learning the craft.

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60k is what I started with right out of college in 2014 in Atlanta. Be sure to get experience and keep doing case studies and apply for more roles and ask for a higher salary.

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Keep doing case studies is so so so important. Recruiters and hiring managers want to see your process, so make sure to document your projects OP!

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Visual design is different from UX, as others have said. You’ll focus less on the user and more on visually communicating the brand across different media. If you want to get more involved in UX, however, let your manager know ASAP. 60k for a first time role is pretty good - if you were UX and a junior it might be more, but likely you’d have been paid the same. If you’re mid-level, look to make a lateral move to mid-level UX if you want the $.

Just from my experience of applying and interviewing :)

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I started as a Web Designer in Atlanta at 50k in 2016. If by first position you mean entry-level, then yes I would say this salary is average. The title/field is not the only thing that determines pay, experience plays a major part as well. That’s why you have people who hold the more general title of Graphic Designer or even Production Designer being paid anywhere from $50-100K. Some of those people could be ex-Creative Directors who, while they have the same title, have vastly more experience than your average professional.

And yes, as others have said here, Visual Design and UX are technically different fields and therefore have different ranges of pay with Visual Design typically being less than UX. The fact that this role is on a UX team is a huge plus! At a lot of companies Creative and UX are pretty siloed from each each other — often in different departments entirely — so you don’t have the exposure to UX as a designer unless you take a course or move to that team. Being adjacent to it makes it a lot easier to learn about, if that’s a field that you’d like to eventually transition into 👏🏾✨

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seems normal to me — visual design, even on a UX team, is a bit of a different discipline so isn’t paid quite the same (in my experience). but it sounds like you have a chance to get more into the other parts of UX if you want, which is great!

ps i was paid 55k in NYC for my first full time product design role, so unfortunately yeah that’s a pretty normal entry level salary

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Another related thought: if you haven’t heard/read about having a T shaped skill set, now is a good time to do so. At any company and in any digital design disciple, you’re going to be expected to know a LOT about that one thing and enough about everything else to be a good collaborator. Is UX the thing you wanna go deep in? Or is visual design the thing you are more passionate about? Don’t let salary be the decision maker here because especially when you get more experience, having that T shaped skill set is going to be what makes you a high earner.

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I’m at an agency in Boston and the junior UX designers on my team usually start around 55k-60k so that sounds about right

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