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Illustrator salary in Australia
The median full-time salary for an illustrator is $96,200 per annum, before tax, up $20,400 since 2018.
- Rates swing with the client and the sector: advertising, games and packaging work usually pays more than book publishing, and an in-house studio salary is steadier than a year of freelance commissions.
- Freelancers set their own fees, so income depends on how many projects they take on and what rights the client buys, since licensing artwork for wider use is worth more than a one-off fee for a single print run.
- The figure above covers full-time workers, and illustrators who work part time or take quiet stretches between projects will earn less across a year.
The median salary rose by $20,400 between 2018 and 2024; the dashed line shows a projection to 2028 based on the real ABS Wage Price Index growth rate, not a role-specific forecast.
Roles that pay more than illustrator
The largest typical pay rise is $6,500 a year, moving into Art Director.
- Art Director+$6,500/yr
How to negotiate a higher illustrator salary
- Know the market rate before you ask. The median full-time illustrator salary is $96,200; use that, not a guess, as your anchor, and adjust for your experience and employer.
- Lead with what's scarce, not just tenure. Skills like Visual design and Creative software production tend to command a premium over general illustrator experience, name them specifically when you ask.
- Bring a real alternative to the table. Art Director pays a typical $6,500 a year more and draws on similar skills, even mentioning you're weighing it up is a legitimate data point in a pay conversation.
- Time it deliberately. Reviews, the end of a project you delivered, or taking on responsibility beyond your job description are stronger moments to ask than an arbitrary date on the calendar.
- Ask for a number, not a raise. "Based on the market rate and [specific contribution], I'd like to move to X" gets a clearer answer than "I think I deserve more."
Illustrator salary questions
How much do illustrators earn in Australia?
The median full-time salary for an illustrator is $96,200 a year before tax. Seniority, specialisation, sector and the award or agreement you're employed under all move it.
Is illustrator pay rising or falling?
The median illustrator salary is up $20,400 since 2018. Figures from 2025 onward on this page are a projection, not a measured result.
What pays more than illustrator?
Art Director pays a typical $6,500 a year more and draws on similar skills to illustrator.
Related salaries
- Graphic Designer salary
- Art Director salary
- Industrial Designer salary
- Cinematographer salary
- Film and Television Director salary
- Fashion Stylist salary
Pay advice
- How to ask for a pay rise, and back it up with real numbersWhat national wage growth looks like right now, how to work out a figure for your own role, wording you can adapt for the conversation, and what to do if the answer is no.
- The average salary in Australia (2026)Full-time adults in Australia averaged $2,083.70 a week in May 2026. Several measures get called the average salary, and this explains which one fits your situation.
- Overtime pay, time in lieu and what your award saysOvertime rates come from your award or agreement, not one national rule. How rates work, what happens on a salary, and how time off in lieu works.