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Textile Designer salary in Australia
The median full-time salary for a textile designer is $78,000 per annum, before tax, up $16,600 since 2018.
Pay in textile design depends more on who employs you than on the job title. Salaried studio roles at a mill or a larger brand sit under an award or enterprise agreement and come with steady hours, while freelance designers are usually paid per design, per collection or on a royalty arrangement, so annual earnings depend on how much work they win. Licensing, where one print is sold to several manufacturers, changes the picture again.
Roles that pay more than textile designer
The largest typical pay rise is $61,200 a year, moving into Marketing Manager.
- Marketing Manager+$61,200/yr
- Graphic Designer+$18,200/yr
- Interior Designer+$10,000/yr
How to negotiate a higher textile designer salary
- Know the market rate before you ask. The median full-time textile designer salary is $78,000; 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 textile designer experience, name them specifically when you ask.
- Bring a real alternative to the table. Marketing Manager pays a typical $61,200 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."
Textile Designer salary questions
How much do textile designers earn in Australia?
The median full-time salary for a textile designer is $78,000 a year before tax. Seniority, specialisation, sector and the award or agreement you're employed under all move it.
Is textile designer pay rising or falling?
The median textile designer salary is up $16,600 since 2018. Figures from 2025 onward on this page are a projection, not a measured result.
What pays more than textile designer?
Marketing Manager pays a typical $61,200 a year more and draws on similar skills to textile designer.