By: Creonow
The year 2021 was a challenge for the designer and creators as businesses were firefighting to showcase their online presence. Be it graphic designers or UX designers, everyone had to come out of their comfort zone with something unique. Since the design industry is always on the move, skills sought by employers vary every year. In midst of the last quarter of 2021, it’s the perfect time to analyze the top hiring trends for designers and creators in 2022.
To start on a positive note – the digital and creative industry is gaining new heights! As the pandemic has made the way for virtual business ecosystems, UX design, motion videos, graphic posters have gained momentum. With over 266,300 graphic designers, the US market has grown at a decent rate of 4.2% between 2016-2026. It is expected that over the next decade, the US needs about 16,700 graphic designers across various platforms!
An insight into the Hiring Trends
As per independent reports, 67% of the advertising and marketing leaders intend to add full-time graphics designers. On the other hand, around 69% plan to introduce a freelance graphic designer to their team. This is an absolute win-win proposition for both the employers and the aspirants looking for graphic designing jobs in 2022.
The flip side of the story is, around 86% of the creative heads are finding it difficult to find skilled graphic designers in today’s volatile period. Also, retaining talented designers is a stiff challenge, especially in the post-Covid era. Research suggests that digital design skills are high on demand! Below are a few of the top areas where creative heads plan to hire designers in 2022.
The stats indicate that hiring managers in 2022 will continue to look out for skilled creative professionals. Someone having the potential to make an impact in their deliverables will fetch the right job with a good package. Forrester a US-based research and advisory company recently estimated that the global design industry will touch upto $162 billion! It also stated that various software categories in the design arena will see a hike of around 20% this year.
Demand of Graphic Designers & creators Post Covid
We have to accept that Covid has halted the pace of economic growth and hiring trends in 2021. This slowdown will also be seen in the next 2-3 years until economies completely recover from the covid-era. Although there is a slight decline in the print and media industry, the job market is quite competitive. The rise of computer graphics packages, graphic design sites and stock art websites have made it tough for job seekers.
On the brighter side, senior graphic designers & creators continue to be the pie of every graphic design company. As they have a good understanding of developing strategic designs that makes a decent positive impact on the clients. The job of expert designers is generally not outsourced as they work in close proximity with the clients.
Website design, animation, creators for electronic publications, portable devices, and video entertainment are a few of the areas that will see a surge in 2022. Graphic professionals who have hands-on experience in traditional print media & digital experience will be in demand to prospective employers.
Fragmentation of Graphic Designers in the US
Did you know that New York, California, and Florida are the top states with the highest concentration of the graphic design industry? Additionally, the count of freelance graphic designers in the US is about 25% of the total graphics community! This is a result of the small to medium digital agencies that hire freelance designers for standalone or short assignments. Assignments like creating t-shirt graphic design, car graphic design, or poster designers are available in abundance across the country.
Industry-Wise Hiring Pattern
As the creative world becomes more aligned to standard processes, the demand for visual designers and graphic designers have increased. While a visual designer looks at the aesthetics of a website, or any other online platform, it’s the blend of art and technology that comes into play in graphic designing. There is a huge scope for applicants having knowledge of the latest designing techniques, technologies, and trends, as companies shift to the online mode. Below is the list of industries that stands top at hiring graphic designers in 2022.
Top Skills for Graphics Designer in 2022:
Motion Design: The journey that started with GIFs to CSS animation and now to videos is truly incredible! Over the period, animation and motion design is going to be an area that will attract the most of the hirings.
By end of 2021, videos will take over 80% of the internet traffic alongside product walk-throughs, tutorials, and much more. Tool s like Cinema 4D, Final Cut Pro, Adobe After Effects are some of the top tools used in motion design.
UI & UX Design: Over the next decade, flat web pages would be shifting towards giving a better immersive experience. So, a UI designer having knowledge of coding will be one of the most sought-after candidates by hiring managers.
In today’s time, visual appeal plays a pivotal role in grabbing the eyeballs of the digital crowd. Giving an awesome experience is how a UI/UX designer transforms the overall outlook of the web page and makes it memorable for the users.
Illustration: Right from eye-catching landing pages to jaw-dropping main images and personalized icons, illustration is here to stay! Hand-drawn elements have a huge fan-following across the globe and brands are eyeing professionals who have this skill set.
Right from small, medium to big-sized enterprises, everyone is using illustrator to personalize the web and UI design. Hand-drawn icons are in demand and various renowned brands are showcasing some of their best works that are done on illustrator.
Digital Typography: Having a rock-solid understanding and experience of typography can give you access to some of the top employers in the US. Right from selecting the font to kerning, alignment, and leading, typography is all about enhancing the pictorial element.
As designing has moved from print to the online world, digital typography is a lot more than swapping pixels! Developing font sizes, resources, and licensing are some of the key components that need to be learned if you aspire to get hired.
Image Editing: Photography and image editing continue to be one of the core elements in designing. Be it creating a graphic poster or working on a logo design, image editing is the foremost way of visual communication in online social platforms.
The growing demand for image text, illustration, and complemented with real photography makes an image editor be a high earning professional. Acquiring the knowledge of image enhancement, adjusting colour combinations, and manipulation, maximizes the hiring prospects.
Takeaways for Job Seekers
The year 2022 definitely favours the job seekers, especially if someone is inclined to enhance their skillsets as per the changing times. Eagerness to manage multiple tasks, collaboration is becoming the key requirement for experienced graphic designers. If you are an aspiring designer, look out for the best online graphic design courses and learn the skills that would be in ‘hot-demand’ in 2022.
Takeaway for Employers
Planning attractive remuneration packages for skilled professionals is going to be the only way, companies can absorb good talent. Since the shortage of skilled workforce will continue in 2022, offering perks and career advancement opportunities can be the icing on the cake.
Final Words
Learning a new skill is always beneficial and very much needed in today’s creative industry. Get your best foot forward in learning the top designing skills that will be in high demand in 2022. The top hiring trends for designers and creators in 2022 highlights the current trends that help to take the right future path