Average Designer Salary in South Africa for 2024

In this article, we will look at the average Designer salary for 2024 in South Africa and how that compares to other countries and professions. We'll also look at interesting salary data points like median salary, 25th and 75th percentile salaries, salary amounts based on experience, bonus ranges and more!

The data in this article has been compiled using official government salary data, salary surveys, and other sources such as job postings which contain salary information.

All salary information is in the local currency, which is the South African rand. To keep things simple, we are using the ZAR currency code instead of the currency symbol R.

How Much Does a Designer Make in South Africa?

A Designer working in South Africa will typically earn around 231,000 ZAR per year, and this can range from the lowest average salary of about 106,160 ZAR to the highest average salary of 366,200 ZAR.

Average Annual Salary
231,000 ZAR
Average Monthly Salary
19,250 ZAR

Lowest Annual Salary
106,160 ZAR
Lowest Monthly Salary
8,846 ZAR

Highest Annual Salary
366,200 ZAR
Highest Monthly Salary
30,516 ZAR

These are average salaries for a Designer in South Africa and include benefits such as housing and transport. It's also possible for a Designer to earn more or less than the average salaries shown above.

Designer salaries will vary a lot based on your experience, location, skills, and gender. Keep reading below to research more data on each of these areas.

Distribution of Designer Salaries in South Africa

So we've looked at the average salaries a Designer will earn in South Africa. The next interesting data point is the distribution of salaries.

Salary ranges

We already know that a Designer can earn between 106,160 ZAR and 366,200 ZAR on average in South Africa. This is known as the range in statistics.

The difference between the maximum and minimum values is a good indicator of variability in salaries, and can be used by employers to figure out how much they can expect to pay, and for employees to know how much they can earn.

Median salary

The median salary for a Designer in South Africa is 247,800 ZAR. This is the middle value in the distribution of salaries.

What this means is that approximately 50% of the population earn less than 247,800 ZAR, and 50% of the population earn more than 247,800 ZAR.

If you are earning more than the median salary, that's a good indicator that you are being paid well.

If you're not earning more than the median salary, your objective should be to increase your earnings to be at least as high as the median salary (which you can do by asking for a pay rise, looking for a better paying job, etc).

Percentiles

Percentiles are similar to the median salary, but instead of looking at the middle value, they look at the values in the top and bottom half of the distribution.

For the average Designer salary in South Africa, 25% of the population are earning less than 159,400 ZAR while 75% of the population earn more than 159,400 ZAR.

75% of the population earn less than 332,500 ZAR, and 25% of the population earn more than 332,500 ZAR.

Like the median salary, the 25th and 75th percentile salaries can be used to determine which quartile you fall into so that you know whether you are being paid well enough compared to others in your profession and location.

The difference between a median and an average salary

The median and average salary are both indicators you can use to see if you are being paid fairly based on the overall population.

  • If your salary is higher than the average and the median salary, you are earning well compared to others.
  • If your salary is lower than the average and the median salary, it could indicate you are not being paid well enough.
  • If you are somewhere in between then it's tricky to determine if you are being paid well enough and you might need to research more closely.

Designer Salary by Experience Level in South Africa

The most important factor in determining your salary after the specific profession is the number of years experience you have. It stands to reason that more years of experience will result in a higher wage.

We have researched the average designer salary based on years of experience to give you an idea of how the average changes once you've worked for a certain amount of time.

  • 0 - 2 Years Experience. A Designer in South Africa that has less than two years of experience can expect to earn somewhere in the region of 119,700 ZAR.
  • 2 - 5 Years Experience. With two to five years of experience the average Designer salary would increase to 159,500 ZAR.
  • 5 - 10 Years Experience. From five to ten years of experience as a Designer , the average salary would be 239,000 ZAR.
  • 10 - 15 Years Experience. Once you have more than ten years of experience the average salary reaches around 290,800 ZAR.
  • 15 - 20 Years Experience. A Designer with 15 to 20 years of experience can earn an average of 313,700 ZAR.
  • 20+ Years Experience. For a Designer with more than 20 years, the expected average salary increases to 341,400 ZAR.

Average Salary by Experience Chart

0-2 Years
119,700 ZAR
2-5 Years +34%
159,500 ZAR
5-10 Years +48%
239,000 ZAR
10-15 Years +22%
290,800 ZAR
15-20 Years +9%
313,700 ZAR
20+ Years +8%
341,400 ZAR

Designer Salary by Education Level in South Africa

As well as experience in a job, your education plays a big role in how much you can earn. A lot of higher paying positions require a high level of education, but how much can a degree increase your salary?

In our research we have compared the salaries of employees in the same job and career level with different levels of education to see how much more you can earn at each education level.

The salary you can earn based on your education is very specific to both your location and the career path you choose.

In our research, we looked at the average salary for a Designer in South Africa based on the education level of the employees in order to find out whether a better education level would increase your salary.

  • High School. A Designer in South Africa with a high school education can earn an average salary of 148,300 ZAR.

  • Certificate or Diploma. A Designer in South Africa with a certificate or diploma education can earn an average salary of 172,200 ZAR.

  • Bachelor's Degree. A Designer in South Africa with a bachelor's degree education can earn an average salary of 253,400 ZAR.

  • Master's Degree. A Designer in South Africa with a master's degree education can earn an average salary of 330,700 ZAR.

Average Salary by Education Chart

High School
148,300 ZAR
Certificate or Diploma +18%
172,200 ZAR
Bachelor's Degree +45%
253,400 ZAR
Master's Degree +31%
330,700 ZAR

How Much is a Master's Degree or MBA Program?

The approximate cost of a master's degree or post-graduate program like an MBA in South Africa is around 156,000 to 467,000 ZAR and takes two years to complete.

As you can see above, there are financial benefits from reaching master's degree level, but don't expect to see much of a salary increase until you have completed the degree.

It's common for people to pursue an MBA or other post-graduate program in order to switch to a a job that pays more. On average, you can expect to earn around 10% more when switching to a new company.

Whether you decide to pursue a master's degree depends on many factors. If you are able to afford it, the numbers suggest that the return on investment is worth it and you could recover the costs in a few years from the salary increase you would receive.

Designer Salary Compared by Gender

In the modern age, we know that there should never be a pay gap between men and women. Unfortunately, in many professions, there is still a significant difference between the salaries earned by men when compared to the salary of women in the same job.

In South Africa, a male designer will earn an average of 243,000 ZAR, while a female designer will earn around 216,800 ZAR.

This means that a male designer earns approximately 12% more than a female designer for performing the same job.

Average Salary by Gender Chart in South Africa

Male
243,000 ZAR
Female -12%
216,800 ZAR

Designer Average Pay Raise in South Africa

In many countries, an annual pay raise is often given to employees to reward their service with a salary increase.

From our research, we can see that the average pay raise for a Designer in South Africa is around 10% every 18 months.

The national average pay raise across all professions and industries in South Africa is around 8% every 18 months.

In this case, we can see that the number of months between the average pay raise is higher than the typical 12 months.

To make the data more meaningful, we can calculate what the approximate annual pay raise would be using a simple formula:

Annual Increase = ( Increase Rate ÷ Months ) × 12

So for this example, it would be:

Annual Increase = ( 10 ÷ 18 ) × 12  = 7%

What this means is that a Designer in South Africa can expect to receive an average pay raise of around 7% every 12 months.

Annual Pay Raise by Industry in South Africa for 2024

In the chart below, you can see the average annual pay raise percentages for each of the major industries in South Africa.

You will see that companies in bigger and more lucrative industries tend to have the higher annual pay raises.

Banking
3%
Energy
6%
Information Technology
9%
Healthcare
3%
Travel
6%
Construction
9%
Education
3%

Designer Bonus and Incentive Rates in South Africa

Another part of your overall compensation in a job is how much bonus you receive. Some job roles will be more likely to pay a bonus than others and also more likely to have higher bonus rates.

Generally speaking, jobs that are more involved with direct revenue generation will receive higher bonuses based on the performance towards revenue goals.

A Designer is a moderate bonus based job, with 57% of employees reporting at least one bonus in the last 12 months.

43% reported that they had not received any bonuses in the previous 12 months.

For the employees that did receive a bonus in the previous 12 months, the reported bonuses ranged from 2% to 7%.

Received Bonus
57%
No Bonus
43%

What are the Types of Bonus?

There are a number of difference types of bonus you can receive in a job. Including:

  • Individual performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee for general performance in the job. It's the most common type of bonus.
  • Company performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to a company employees to share profit with the staff.
  • Goal based bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee (or a team) for achieving specific goals, objectives, or milestones.
  • Holiday bonus - This type of bonus is usually paid around the holidays, often the end of the year, and is a token of appreciation for the hard work throughout the year.

Government vs Private Sector Salaries

Another commonly asked question is whether you get paid a higher salary working in the public (government) sector or the private sector.

Public sector employees in South Africa earn approximately 7% more than private sector employees in the same role.

Public Sector
386,400 ZAR
Private Sector -7%
361,500 ZAR

Salaries for Jobs Similar to a Designer

In the table below, we have salary information for jobs that are similar to a Designer in South Africa.

Job Title Category Salary
Advertising Account Executive Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 430,500 ZAR
Advertising Account Manager Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 467,100 ZAR
Advertising Account Planner Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 228,000 ZAR
Advertising and Promotions Manager Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 637,500 ZAR
Advertising Coordinator Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 307,400 ZAR
Advertising Manager Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 619,000 ZAR
Advertising Operations Manager Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 658,300 ZAR
Advertising Sales Director Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 667,400 ZAR
Advertising Strategic Planner Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 428,400 ZAR
Advertising Team Leader Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 361,500 ZAR
Animator Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 277,400 ZAR
Art Director Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 384,200 ZAR
Art Manager Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 382,600 ZAR
Artist Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 319,600 ZAR
Artworker Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 225,700 ZAR
Assistant Art Director Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 301,600 ZAR
Audio and Video Equipment Technician Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 217,900 ZAR
Audio Engineer Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 283,700 ZAR
Audiosual Technician Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 228,500 ZAR
Broadcast Administrator Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 407,300 ZAR
Catering Sales Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 251,500 ZAR
Catering Trainer Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 288,700 ZAR
Commercial and Industrial Designer Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 228,500 ZAR
Conference Organiser Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 290,800 ZAR
Content and Media Production Lead Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 436,200 ZAR
CopyWriter Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 263,100 ZAR
Creative Designer Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 279,400 ZAR
Creative Director Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 384,500 ZAR
Desktop Publisher Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 183,700 ZAR
Digital Campaign Manager Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 406,300 ZAR
Digital Media Manager Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 478,100 ZAR
Digital Media Strategist Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 498,500 ZAR
Director of Events Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 675,100 ZAR
Director of Graphic Design Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 367,200 ZAR
Director of Social Media Marketing Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 514,800 ZAR
Events and Promotions Manager Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 631,200 ZAR
Events Director Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 633,300 ZAR
Exhibit Designer Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 309,800 ZAR
Exhibit Display Coordinator Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 297,000 ZAR
Exhibit Display Manager Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 398,300 ZAR
Finisher Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 205,700 ZAR
Graphic Artist Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 245,300 ZAR
Graphic Design Specialist Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 281,500 ZAR
Graphic Designer Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 246,200 ZAR
Graphics Artist Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 258,400 ZAR
Graphics Design Supervisor Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 332,500 ZAR
Group Creative Director Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 417,100 ZAR
Imagery Analyst Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 221,500 ZAR
Imaging Technologist Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 221,500 ZAR
Interaction Designer Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 192,000 ZAR
Media Analyst Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 325,800 ZAR
Media Executive Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 420,800 ZAR
Media Planner Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 322,600 ZAR
Media Production Coordinator Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 294,700 ZAR
Media Production Manager Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 533,100 ZAR
Media Project Manager Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 513,300 ZAR
Media Relations Representative Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 424,300 ZAR
Media Sales Executive Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 528,500 ZAR
Meeting and Event Planner Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 288,100 ZAR
Multimedia Artist Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 246,200 ZAR
Multimedia Specialist Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 221,500 ZAR
Photographer Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 216,800 ZAR
PPC Campaign Manager Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 394,300 ZAR
Print Production Manager Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 431,100 ZAR
Product and Brand Manager Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 619,000 ZAR
Sales Promotion Manager Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 614,600 ZAR
Search Engine Optimization Specialist (SEO) Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 257,700 ZAR
Sketch Artist Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 279,400 ZAR
Social Media Executive Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 493,000 ZAR
Social Media Manager Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 493,000 ZAR
Social Media Marketing Manager Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 507,300 ZAR
Social Media Strategist Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 492,700 ZAR
Special Events Supervisor Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 384,200 ZAR
Technical Typist Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 168,100 ZAR
User Experience UX Designer Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 258,400 ZAR
UX Designer Advertising / Graphic Design / Events 225,700 ZAR

Salary Comparison by City

If you want to compare salaries with different cities in South Africa, you can use the links below to explore the data for each specific city we have researched.

City Average Salary
Bloemfontein 204,700 ZAR
Cape Town 251,500 ZAR
Durban 233,900 ZAR
Johannesburg 221,500 ZAR
Port Elizabeth 201,100 ZAR
Pretoria 215,100 ZAR

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