Web Designer
Web designers decide how a website looks and works, shaping the layout, colours and navigation so visitors can find what they need.
- Median salary
- $96,200
4.6%vs last year, before tax
- People employed
- 5,300
1.9%vs last year
- Projected growth
- +19%
to 2035
- AI exposure*
- Moderate
- automation risk
- Average hours
- 41/wk
+1h vs all jobs
- Shortage status
- Not in shortage
national
Web designers work in design agencies, in-house marketing teams and as freelancers, and they usually hand their finished layouts to a developer to build. The role sits between graphic design and web development: a graphic designer concentrates on how one piece of artwork looks, while a web designer thinks about how a visitor moves through a site and about the same page on a phone, a tablet and a large monitor. Wireframes and clickable prototypes are the working documents of the job.
How much do web designers earn?
The median full-time salary for a web designer is $96,200 per annum, before tax, up $20,400 since 2018.
Where you work moves pay more than seniority alone: agencies tend to pay less than in-house product teams, while government and large corporate employers generally sit above both. Freelancers set their own rates but carry unpaid time spent pitching and quoting, and a designer who can also build front-end code can ask for more. A portfolio of live, finished sites does more for your rate than years of service.
What does a web designer do day to day?
The list below is what fills most weeks; the exact mix shifts with seniority and whatever stage the current work is at.
- Turning a client's rough idea of their site into wireframes they can react to
- Choosing type, colour and imagery that hold together as one visual identity
- Designing the same page for phone, tablet and desktop screens
- Building clickable prototypes so a layout can be tested before anyone writes code
- Working through feedback rounds that redraw the brief partway through a project
What skills do web designers need?
Employers look for uX and interaction design, visual design, creative software production, backed by Figma fluency and strong problem solving.
Specialist skills
- UX and interaction design
- Visual design
- Creative software production
Software and tools
- Figma
- Adobe XD
- Sketch
- Adobe Creative Suite
- Webflow
General skills
- Problem solving
- Written communication
- Stakeholder management
- Attention to detail
Is the job growing?
About 5,300 people work as web designers in Australia, and employment is projected to grow 19% over the decade to 2035. That's healthy, above-average growth, and the role should stay in solid demand.
How do you become a web designer?
Here's the path most web designers take, step by step.
- 1Study design fundamentals
A bachelor degree in design, web design or a related field is the most common background, with about 50% of the designers working today holding one. The study is worth it mainly for the critique, the typography and the group projects that resemble a studio.
- 2Consider a diploma instead
A diploma or advanced diploma through TAFE takes one to two years, costs less and covers the same software and layout basics. It suits someone changing careers who wants a qualification on paper without three years of full-time study.
- 3Build a portfolio of real work
Employers hire on the portfolio, so three or four complete projects with a described problem and outcome carry more weight than coursework. Redesigning a local business site, a club or a friend's shop gives you live pages to show.
- 4Start where juniors get hired
Junior designer roles sit mostly in agencies and studio teams, where you work under a senior designer and learn how briefs are scoped and priced. Freelancing for small businesses is the other common entry, and it teaches client management fast.
- 5Add a speciality
After a few years, designers often deepen one area such as user experience, design systems or front-end code. That choice shapes the roles open to you and the rate you can charge.
Ready to apply as a web designer?
Whether you're working toward becoming a web designer or already are one and want a hand with the next step (sharpening your resume for ATS screening, tightening your cover letter, or knowing what you'll actually be asked at interview), here are examples grounded in this specific role, not generic templates.
What jobs can a web designer move to?
Moving into Front End Developer typically comes with the biggest pay rise, worth $32,600 a year more on average.
| Move to | Typical pay change | Overlap | Retraining |
|---|---|---|---|
| Front End Developer A web designer brings layout, colour and navigation skills to front end development, though coding and frameworks need substantial study.Known move | +$32,600 | 24% | reskill |
| Full Stack Developer A web designer brings interface and layout knowledge to full stack development, with server side and database skills needing substantial retraining.Known move | +$32,600 | 18% | reskill |
| UX Designer A web designer brings an understanding of layout and navigation to user experience design, with research methods needing further study. | +$0 | 32% | reskill |
| Web Administrator A web designer brings site structure and content knowledge to web administration, with hosting and security skills requiring retraining.Known move | −$15,600 | 3% | reskill |
| Multimedia Designer A web designer brings digital layout and visual composition skills to multimedia design, with motion and interactive tools adding to the toolkit.Known move | −$20,300 | 58% | short course |
Moves are chosen from Jobs and Skills Australia's Data on Occupation Mobility, which follows income tax records between 2011-12 and 2020-21, together with entry requirements and skill overlap. A known move is one people were seen making in that data. Pay change compares median full-time pay for the two roles.
Who works as a web designer?
The typical web designer is 36 years old; 54% are men, 69% work full-time, and full-timers average 41 hours a week.
- 36
- Median age
- 46%
- Female share
- 69%
- Full-time
- +1h
- vs all-jobs avg
What's it like being a web designer?
The work runs in project cycles: discovery and wireframes, then visual design, then rounds of feedback and revision, then handoff to whoever builds the site. Deadlines cluster around launches, and the gap between how long a design feels like it should take and how long it actually takes is a regular source of pressure. It suits someone who enjoys solving visual problems for other people's businesses and can take criticism of their own work without taking it personally.
What people like
- Your work goes live in public. A finished site is something you can send a link to, and you can point at the exact page you argued for in a meeting.
- Each project is a different business. One month it might be a bakery, the next a law firm, so the research into what each client actually needs keeps the work from settling into one groove.
- The craft shows when it works. Getting a page to feel effortless takes real work in type, spacing and hierarchy, and the difference between a competent layout and a good one is visible straight away.
- Working for yourself is realistic. Once you have a few projects behind you, freelancing or running a small studio is a genuine option rather than a distant ambition.
What people find hard
- Feedback rounds can stretch out. A design that took a week to produce can sit in review for a month while several people give conflicting opinions on it.
- Taste often outweighs evidence. Clients frequently react to what they personally like, and the person signing off may never use the site the way its actual visitors do.
- Unpaid work is part of the job. Pitching, quoting and revising are usually unpaid, which eats into the hours a freelancer can bill and squeezes margins on small jobs.
- The tools and standards move. Browsers, accessibility expectations and design software change quickly enough that keeping current takes time outside paid work.
Based on our synthesis of professional-body surveys and public accounts of the role, not first-person verified reviews.
Which industries employ web designers?
Professional, Scientific and Technical Services employs the largest share of web designers, followed by Retail Trade.
Top employing industries
- 1Professional, Scientific and Technical Services
- 2Retail Trade
- 3Education and Training
Ranked by employment share; the source doesn't publish an exact percentage per industry.
| Bachelor degree | 49.8% | |
|---|---|---|
| Diploma / Advanced Diploma | 16.2% | |
| Postgraduate | 12.6% | |
| Year 12 or below | 12.1% | |
| Certificate III/IV | 6.7% |
Will AI replace web designers?
Web design sits in the middle: AI tools now handle a fair share of the early drafting, and website builders can produce a simple site without a designer at all. That shifts the value of the role towards deciding what a business needs, judging whether a layout works for real visitors, and making the accessibility and brand calls that carry consequences. The work is exposed in its production stages and much less exposed in its client-facing and decision-making stages.
Share of typical working time by exposure level
- Client workshops, feedback and developer handoffSitting with a client to work out what their business actually needs, then walking a developer through the details, depends on conversation and trust rather than software.30%low
- Wireframing and early layout ideasTools that generate page layouts from a prompt or a reference site produce a usable starting point in minutes, so the first round of sketches is less of a billable stage than it was.25%high
- Designing responsive layouts and checking accessibilitySoftware flags contrast and heading-level problems automatically, but deciding how a complex page should reflow on a phone still takes judgement.25%moderate
- Visual design: colour, type and imageryImage generation and palette suggestions speed up mood boards and placeholder visuals, though a client's brand still has to be applied with a consistent eye.20%high
Common questions about becoming a web designer
Straight answers to the questions people ask most.
How much do web designers earn?
Web designers earn a median of $96,200 per annum, before tax. Agency work tends to pay less than in-house product teams, freelance rates depend on the clients you find, and designers who can also code usually earn more. The figure is a median across full-time workers, so individual pay sits above or below it.
How do you become a web designer?
Most web designers combine some formal study in design with a portfolio of finished work. A degree or a TAFE diploma covers typography, layout and the software, but employers and clients hire on what you can show, so build three or four real projects alongside it. Junior agency roles and small freelance jobs are the usual first step.
Are web designers in demand?
Web designers are currently not in shortage. Employment is projected to grow 19% over the decade to 2035 over the decade to 2035, which reflects how much of business now happens online. Hiring still turns on your portfolio more than the overall market, so a designer with live work to show is in a stronger position than one without.
Will AI replace web designers?
AI is already part of the job rather than a replacement for it. Layout suggestions, generated imagery and website builders produce usable first drafts quickly, which trims the time spent on early concepts and on simple sites. What clients still pay for is deciding what a business needs from its site, judging whether a layout works for real visitors, and making accessibility and brand decisions that carry consequences.
Do web designers need to know how to code?
You do not need to be a developer, but understanding HTML, CSS and how a page is built makes you easier to work with and your designs more realistic. It also opens the move into front-end work if you want it later. Many designers learn enough to build simple sites and leave complex builds to a developer.
What can web designers move into?
Front end development builds on the same layout and interface work, and the pay difference is $32,600 more. User experience design is a closer step sideways, with the pay difference about the same and research methods the main new skill. Experienced designers also freelance or start their own studio, and that is often where earnings grow.
Related roles
- Front End Developer
- Full Stack Developer
- UX Designer
- Multimedia Designer
- Web Administrator
- Multimedia Designer
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