Footwear Graphic Designer Career Profile, Salary & Job Outlook

What does a Footwear Graphic Designer do?

Footwear Graphic Designers bring to life seasonal creative narratives through graphic design that is trend relevant to the consumer across performance and lifestyle footwear. They also build original graphic design and/or textile designs that reflect a brand’s design ethos. Crucial to the design team, a footwear graphic designer follows the execution of all product details, including providing the appropriate materials to designers, developers, account managers for the creation of separations, embroidery, and trims.

How much does a Footwear Graphic Designer make?

According to Comparably, Footwear Graphic Designers at Nike make a national average of $71,235 annually or $34.25 an hour in 2021. Moreover, on a national level, entry-level footwear graphic designers make around $45,000 annually, with senior-level footwear graphic designers making $150,000 a year.

What impact does this career have towards the sneaker industry?

The designs of a Footwear Graphic Designer are industry leading, trend right, and will consistently incorporate consumer/athlete insights through powerful storytelling, emotional connectivity, and relevance. Their designs reflect the time while pushing forward trends.

What is the job outlook for a Footwear Graphic Designer?

The Footwear market is expected to show a volume growth of 4.0% in 2022. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), job growth in the fashion design industry (including Graphic Designers, Footwear) is projected to grow one percent during the 2018-2028 decade.

How to kick-off your career:

• Play with your drawing and your Photoshop skillss
• Collect inspiration of sneakers with your favorite graphic designs on them.
• Learn about fabric print design and understand limitations and new technlogies.
• Download our Ultimate Sneaker Career Guide to understand the pathway into this career.
• Explore our Sneaker Essentials online course to understand the Design & Materials process.

Learn from:
Jon Tang
Sneaker Essentials contributor, Fronteer

Founder & Creative Director, Fronteer
Senior Designer, Collaborations & Special Projects, K-Swiss

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