The weekly work hours as a Graphic Designer are typically around 40hours per week. However, when working at a design agency the fast deadlines and high workloads can increase this to 50 hours a week or more. Freelance designers can expect to have a lot more control over the number of hours they work.
Design Agency working hours
The contracted work hours of a Graphic Designer at a Design Agency are typically 40 hours per week. However, because of the high volume of projects that an Agency brings in it often means that Designers are expected to work for longer hours than they are contracted to. Working at this rate for an extended period of time can lead to some designers feeling burnt out. Each design project is allocated a deadline that needs to be met. These deadlines are typically very short so that the agency can take on more clients. It can be that multiple designers work on one project at once using file-sharing methods within Adobe Programs so that they can each solve a different part of the same brief. The kinds of briefs that are taken on can vary between agencies, but it’s not uncommon to work on websites, packaging, books, magazine, advertising, corporate identity and more. It’s a great way to get a broad range of experience and a well-rounded portfolio.
In-house Design hours
Working in-house for a company can range from 35 hours per week to 40 hours per week. The deadlines that you can expect to receive from an in-house position will be more comfortable to achieve vs working at an Agency. This is because your only client is the business you are working for. Where-as the Agency has multiple clients having worked created at any one time. Working overtime is possible with in-house design positions but it is far less common than with Agency positions. An example of working overtime as an in-house designer could be if a new product is about to be released by the company and it’s all hands on deck to get everything prepped and ready for the product to go public. In-house design is one of the most common design jobs you can get as almost every company on the planet needs a Graphic Designer at some point and it can be a vital resource to have to create the various marketing materials that a company needs without needing to rely on an Agency.
A freelancer can choose their hours to a certain degree as they are freer to choose the projects they want to work on. However, it is common for freelance designs to blur the lines of when they work and their free time. So they may start working early in the morning and not finish until late at night because they do not have a set schedule. Freelance designers can often find themselves swamped with client work and unlike an agency, they can’t scale their resources to respond to an increase in a client’s output. So an agency can hire more freelance designers or split a brief so that multiple designers can work on it at any one time. However, with a lone freelance designer, they are alone in their work so if a client increases the amount of work they need to be created it can overwhelm a designer and they find themselves working far longer hours than they had initially planned for.
Part-Time Designer hours
Working part-time as a Graphic Designer can be the best way of working for some Graphic Designers as this can be a great way to earn freelance day rates but still have a work-life balance that enables them to be present in other areas of their life. Although finding part-time work can be a little rare on job sites. It is possible and I personally have had great success with working part-time for a company. You can expect to work between one to three days a week as a part-time Graphic Designer. Often you can charge a day rate rather than a salary. This can be beneficial as a day rate is typically going to be higher value than a part-time salary. However, you are trading the job security that comes with a salary position. But if you are looking for a sustainable work-life balance that gives you more time for other areas of your life then part-time work can be a great way to work as a Graphic Designer.
Combination of Design work hours
Many designers find that mixing the various ways of working can be beneficial. For instance, one of the most common is to be a full-time in-house Graphic Designer and then also take on freelance work on the side. Although this will mean the work hours would be extended for 9-5 for the in-house position and then another 2-3 hours daily for freelance work. Some of the benefits would be that it can be possible to bring in thousands of dollars of extra income each month. It also gives you an extra layer of job security. If your in-house position ends for any reason, you will still have freelance work coming in to help pay your bills. The major downside of a combination is that the working hours are increased each day and this can lead to burnout. But if done correctly it can lead to a great financial bonus to your monthly and yearly income.
If you are interested in becoming a Graphic Designer then why not take a read of our article all about how long it takes to become a Graphic Designer. Spoiler alert – it doesn’t need to take years! Take a read here.