Average Salary for a Web Designer in Canada

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Every business needs a website, which means there are lots of opportunities for web designers. But navigating the job market is easier said than done. In this guide, we'll help you get started by looking at what types of web designer jobs are available and the typical web designer salary for different positions.

🇺🇸 Please note that most of the numbers in this article are based on data from the US. We've included some international data, but if you're outside of the US, you may need to search for data relevant to your own country.

📚 Table of contents:

• User experience (UX) designer
• User interface (UI) designer
• Visual web designer
• Web designers working as freelancers
• Web designer vs web developer

Types of web designer jobs & average web designer salary

User experience (UX) designer

A UX designer is responsible for the following aspects of web design:

• Content hierarchy. The order in which content is provided to the visitor.
• Information architecture. The creation and management of things like sitemaps and metadata, all to help users understand where they are on your site at any given moment.
• Wireframes. Page blueprints that others can use to appropriately place content on various pages.
• Prototypes. Examples of what a page on the site you're building will look like, especially when testing new layouts.

In short, a UX designer focuses on designing the user's informational journey through a website. With prototyping, user testing, and persona building, they create set paths for different types of visitors to take upon visiting your site.

⚒️ Required skills

• User research and strategy
• Wireframing and prototyping
• Responsive web design
• Project management
• Collaboration

Many user experience designer jobs also require you to have some level of skill in user interface design, things like layouts and typography.

💵 Salary expectations

According to ZipRecruiter, the current average salary for a UX designer in the United States is $91,500. CareerFoundry lists average UX salaries as $85,000 in the US, C$72,000 in Canada, and €40,000 in the UK.

UXDesignerSalaries.com offers a more complete set of numbers, looking at salaries based on both country and experience. The site lists four different experience levels:

• 0-3 years. These designers receive an average of $76,966 in the US.
• 4-7 years. An average of $98,732 in the US.
• 8-12 years. An average of $112,203 in the US.
• 13+ years. An average of $123,447 in the US.

In short, if you're new to UX design, you can expect to make around $75,000, with that number increasing to around $100K with 4-7 years of experience. More experienced designers can make well over $100K/year.

You can see salary data for a few more countries at UXDesignerSalaries.com.

User interface (UI) designer

A user interface designer, sometimes referred to as a user interaction designer, uses things like patterns, spacing, and color to guide the user experience. Their goal is to create an intuitive experience so that a user always knows what their next interaction with a website should be.

To break it down further, a UI designer will be responsible for the following:

• Choosing major aspects of visual design, like color palette and typography
• Creating and maintaining style guides
• Ensuring a cohesive brand experience across pages
• Customizing the appearance and functionality of interactive elements, like page menus
• Creating animations

UI designers are also often responsible for front-end development.

⚒️ Required skills

• Proficiency with at least one design tool, such as Adobe XD
• Experience with a prototyping tool, like InVision
• Understanding of color theory, typography, and UI design patterns
• Collaboration

UI designers can also benefit from knowledge of CSS, HTML, and/or JavaScript.

💵 Salary expectations

Figuring the average web designer salary for a UI designer is a bit trickier, since many sites don't differentiate UI designers from UX designers. However, there is some data available for analysis.

According to Glassdoor, the average salary for a UI designer is $83,421. This is similar to the $84,262 listed on BuiltIn. Career Foundry lists a somewhat lower average salary of $76,115 for UI designers in the US, C$69,000 in Canada, and €44,155 in the UK.

Indeed lists a UI designer salary somewhat higher at $91,015 and also provides some data based on how this breaks down for people at various experience levels:

• 1-2 years – $78,055
• 3-5 years – $109,260
• 10+ years – $121,100

This data isn't as comprehensive as the salary data for UX designers, but it is pretty clear that you can expect to make over $75,000 in an entry-level UI designer position. With a few years of experience, you can expect salary that is closer to $100K, growing to well over $100K as you approach ten years of experience.

Visual web designer

A visual web designer, more often referred to as just a web designer, is a graphic designer who specializes in websites. They are responsible for the following aspects of a site:

• Images
• Typography
• Colors
• Layout

They design these things in a tool like Adobe Illustrator or InDesign. Sometimes they implement the designs themselves; more often, this is done by a front-end web developer.

⚒️ Required skills

• Familiarity with tools like Photoshop, Illustrator, and/or InDesign
• Understanding of the principles of design as applied to web design
• Collaboration

While it is not required, many web designers also find it helpful to understand content management systems, like WordPress, as well as basic HTML and CSS. This provides more context for how elements of their design can be applied to a site and, in some cases, even implement the design themselves.

💵 Salary expectations

According to Talent.com, the average web designer in the US makes $60,000. This is in line with the number of $60,202 listed by ZipRecruiter and not too far off from the $66,744 listed on Salary.com.

Payscale lists the average web designer salary at $51,821, and goes on to provide a breakdown of the pay rates for different experience levels:

• First year – Web designers can expect to earn $44,000 in their first year.
• 1-4 years – $49,000/year.
• 5-9 years – $58,000/year.
• 10-19 years – $60,000/year.
• 20+ years – $65,000/year.

Some positions will pay more, with ZipRecruiter listing some web designers being paid as much as $114,000, but in general web designers can expect a significantly lower salary than UI or UX designers.

Web designers working as freelancers

Freelance web designers act as their own bosses, working for multiple clients. This allows them to control their schedules, duties, and, of course, their fees. A freelance web designer can choose to specialize in one type of design or offer all three to different clients.

💵 Salary expectations

Unfortunately, finding data on what freelance web designers earn is a bit trickier than looking up salaries. However, there is some information available:

• ZipRecruiter lists a freelance web designer salary range of $23,500 – $111,500, with an average salary of $55,810.
• Payscale lists an average salary of $49,282/year for freelance web designers.
• Talent.com lists a higher salary range of $66,625 – $122,850, with the average salary being $78,000/year.

These numbers all come from relatively small sample sizes though. A better metric might be what popular guides suggest as the appropriate amount to charge for services:

• Ripemedia suggests that web designers with minimal experience should charge $31-42/hour, while more advanced designers can charge up to $75/hour.
• Visual Composer suggests that web designers with moderate experience should charge around $75/hour.

If you're interested in pursuing freelance work, check out the Flux Academy guide to how to calculate your web design hourly rate.

Web designer vs web developer

When you start hunting for web designer jobs, you might notice that "Web Developer" positions show up in your search results. You might even qualify for them, but these are distinctly different jobs from web designer positions.

Let's take a look at the differences.

A web designer works on the layout and appearance of a website. They often build these layouts with tools like Adobe Illustrator, relying on the developer to implement the layout they've created. They may also use code, but they're not typically responsible for more than basic functionality. There are three common types of web designer: user experience designers, user interaction designers, and visual designers.

A web developer works on the core structure of a website. They use code to give your site the full range of functionality you desire. There are three types of developers:

• Back-end developers who work on the database and server. These developers are typically paid $81,161/year according to Payscale, while Glassdoor lists a significantly higher average salary of $94,444.
• Front-end developers who focus on the elements of the site that visitors will interact with. These developers earn an average salary of $75,437 according to Payscale, while Glassdoor lists a notably higher average salary of $87,228.
• Full stack developers do both front-end and back-end development, and get paid an average of $78,936 according to Payscale, while Glassdoor lists a notably higher average salary of $99,221.

This shows that while the pay for web developers varies greatly, they can generally expect to be paid at least as much as a UX or UI designer, and significantly more than visual designers.

Check out our guide to key differences between web design and development for more information.

How to choose the right web designer job

Money is important, but it isn't the only thing that matters. There are several other factors you should consider when searching for a web designer job:

• What type of work you want to do. Just because you have the skills to do more technical work doesn't mean you should. If the thing you enjoy most is graphic design and coding always feels like a chore, choosing a visual web designer job that only requires occasional use of HTML/CSS may be better for your mental health than becoming a UX designer.
• Hours. There are two things to consider here. First, you need to know if the job you're considering is a strict 40 hours per week or if you'll be expected to work overtime. Second, you'll want to know the precise hours you're expected to work, whether that's 8-4, 9-5, or something else altogether. You may also want to ask about flexibility for things like doctor's appointments and childcare.
• Benefits. Quality health insurance that covers a significant percentage of things like dental, eyecare, and therapy/other mental health support can save you a lot of money. If you have existing health concerns, a good insurance plan may well make up for a lower salary.
• Remote working options. The option to work from home some of the time or all of it can be a major benefit for some workers.
• Company culture. Look for employee reviews on sites like GlassDoor or reach out to current employees through a site like LinkedIn to get an accurate view of what working for this company will be like.
• Opportunities for advancement. Many companies only have one web designer, so you might find yourself in a job with no room for advancement. This often makes it necessary to move on within a couple of years to find something that meets your growing skills and needs. If you want this job to be a long-term one, you're better off looking at bigger companies with multiple designers.

Final thoughts

The average web designer salary varies based on the type of design work you do:

• UX designers working in the US can expect a salary of $75,000 – $120,000, depending on their experience.
• UI designers working in the US can expect roughly the same range of income, between $78,000 and $120,000.
• Visual web designers make significantly less, with averages around $60,000. However, there are opportunities to earn significantly more, with some web designers earning as much as $114,000.

Looking at this information might shape not just your current job search, but your overall career trajectory. For example, if you're currently a visual web designer, you might want to build your skills so that you can transition into UI or UX design and earn more money.

We hope that our research into the job market and average web design salary numbers has been useful. Let us know what you think in the comments below.

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Average Salary for a Web Designer in Canada

Source: https://themeisle.com/blog/web-designer-salary/

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