Often handed to AI
Task areas most often handled directively in observed AI conversations — candidates to delegate with light review.
- Use computer software to generate new images. · 8.2%
Graphic Designers
Occupation · SOC 27-1024.00
Design or create graphics to meet specific commercial or promotional needs, such as packaging, displays, or logos. May use a variety of mediums to achieve artistic or decorative effects.
Also called: Artist · Designer · Graphic Artist · Graphic Designer · Brand Designer · Graphic Design Coordinator · Online Producer · Production Artist · Publications Designer · Technical Illustrator · Ad Designer (Advertising Designer) · Ad Layout Worker (Advertising Layout Worker)
Job family: Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations
Take this to your AI
A source-stamped Markdown brief of this occupation — paste it into an agent, or fetch
/roles/role-27-1024-00/context.md directly.
AI work map
A fast read on where AI already shows up in this occupation, where it stays a copilot, where humans remain in the loop, and what the labor market is doing. Built from observed Claude.ai conversations mapped to O*NET tasks and from published research — measures of usage and exposure, not advice or predictions that the job is going away.
Use as a copilot
Task areas where people work with AI — iterating, learning, or checking — staying in the loop rather than handing the task off.
- Determine size and arrangement of illustrative material and copy, and select style and size of type. · 2.3%
- Prepare notes and instructions for workers who assemble and prepare final layouts for printing. · 1.2%
- Develop graphics and layouts for product illustrations, company logos, and Web sites. · 0.5%
Keep a human in the loop
Task areas where a human was still judged necessary in a large share of observed conversations — not a safety ruling, an observed-need signal.
- Determine size and arrangement of illustrative material and copy, and select style and size of type. · 97.0% need a human
- Research new software or design concepts. · 94.4% need a human
- Prepare notes and instructions for workers who assemble and prepare final layouts for printing. · 93.9% need a human
Skills it runs on
The capabilities O*NET rates most important for this occupation — the human ground the work is built on.
See all skills →Market signal
Independent published positions, read together — not a forecast.
- About average employment outlook (+2.1% by 2034)
- 20,000 openings/yr
- High AI exposure
- Observed AI use leans augmentation
- Median pay $61,300/yr
- Can largely be done remotely (teleworkable)
- A reversal from 2013 — rated low automation risk then (27th), high AI task-overlap now (80th)
80th-percentile task overlap — yet about 20,000 openings a year (+2.1% projected, BLS), and observed AI use leans 4845% copilot, not hand-off (AEI) . What exposure means →
AI & job outlook
What today's research says about this occupation's exposure to AI, how AI is actually being used in it, and where employment is headed. These are positions within published studies — measures of exposure and usage, not predictions that this job will disappear.
Exposure to current AI
Each study uses its own scale, so the raw scores are not comparable across rows — the percentile (this job's rank among all U.S. occupations with data) is the comparable figure, and sizes the bars.
| Measure | Rank vs all occupations | Percentile | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall AI exposure (Felten et al.) Moderate | 65th | 0.7 | |
| LLM task exposure, γ (OpenAI / Eloundou) High | 95th | 1.0 | |
| AI assistant applicability (Microsoft) High | 75th | 0.2 |
OpenAI's exposure study scores tasks three ways: with a language model alone (α 0.0), with simple added tooling (β 0.5), and including AI-powered software (γ 1.0). Higher means more of the job's tasks could be done at least twice as fast — not that they will be automated away.
Most of this job's tasks can be done remotely (Dingel–Neiman), which tends to track with higher digital and AI exposure.
Historical automation estimate (2013)
A pre-LLM (2013) estimate of how automatable this job is by computerization and robotics. Shown for historical context only — it is not part of any current AI ranking.
Frey–Osborne probability 0.1 · 27th percentile among occupations · Low
How AI is actually used in this job
Among measured AI assistant conversations mapped to this occupation (Anthropic Economic Index, 2026-01-15), these task types came up most. These are shares of observed AI conversations — not shares of the job, of worker time, or of what could be automated.
| Use computer software to generate new images. | 3.7% | |
| Determine size and arrangement of illustrative material and copy, and select style and size of type. | 3.5% | |
| Mark up, paste, and assemble final layouts to prepare layouts for printer. | 1.3% | |
| Develop graphics and layouts for product illustrations, company logos, and Web sites. | 1.1% | |
| Prepare notes and instructions for workers who assemble and prepare final layouts for printing. | 0.5% | |
| Create designs, concepts, and sample layouts, based on knowledge of layout principles and esthetic design concepts. | 0.3% |
Job outlook
Independent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics employment projection for 2024–2034 — a labor-market forecast, not an AI-impact forecast.
| Outlook | About average · +2.1% by 2034 |
| Projected annual openings | 20,000 |
| Employment 2024 → 2034 | 265,900 → 271,500 |
“Annual openings” counts new jobs plus replacements for workers who leave the occupation, so it can be large even when growth is modest.
Where this work sits on the global GenAI gradient
The ILO's 2025 global study scores generative-AI exposure on the international ISCO-08 occupation system, not US SOC. Bridged through the published (and approximate, many-to-many) IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 crosswalk, this US occupation corresponds to the international occupation below. Exposure here means how much of the work's tasks today's AI can attempt — task overlap, not automation, adoption, or jobs lost.
Graphic Designers sits at the 88th percentile of 427
occupations on the global GenAI task-exposure gradient
— exposure rose from 2023 to 2025. Each dot is one occupation; the
ringed one is this work. Exposure is task overlap, not automation or jobs lost.
49% mean task exposure (2025)
88th percentile of 427 placed occupations
+7 pts shift 2023 → 2025
| International occupation (ISCO-08) | Task exposure (2025) | Most tasks fall in |
|---|---|---|
| Graphic and Multimedia Designers · 2166 | 49% | Gradient 2 |
Read the whole six-band gradient on the GenAI exposure gradient page. The crosswalk is approximate: a US occupation can map to several international ones, and the ILO scores describe the international occupation, not this exact US role.
Working with AI in this job
How people actually apply AI to this occupation's tasks, from Claude.ai (Free and Pro) conversations in the Anthropic Economic Index, 2026-01-15. This is one AI assistant's consumer sample — not all AI, not the whole workforce. Autonomy and the collaboration mix are model-rated estimates; figures below the sample floor are hidden.
| Augmentation vs. automation | 48.5% working with AI · 46.5% handed to AI |
| Most common way people use AI here | Iteration · you and AI go back and forth |
| Typical AI autonomy | 4.0 / 5 · higher = AI acts more independently |
| Used for work (vs. personal / coursework) | 40.8% |
What people delegate to AI
The role's most common tasks in AI conversations, each tagged with how people work with the AI on it. “Usage” is the share of observed conversations, not of the job.
| Task | How | Usage |
|---|---|---|
| Use computer software to generate new images. | Directive | 8.2% |
| Determine size and arrangement of illustrative material and copy, and select style and size of type. | Iteration | 2.3% |
| Prepare notes and instructions for workers who assemble and prepare final layouts for printing. | Iteration | 1.2% |
| Develop graphics and layouts for product illustrations, company logos, and Web sites. | Iteration | 0.5% |
| Research new software or design concepts. | Learning | 0.4% |
Where a human is still needed
Tasks where the model most often judged that a person remained necessary — a useful read on the current boundary, not a guarantee.
| Determine size and arrangement of illustrative material and copy, and select style and size of type. | 97.0% | |
| Research new software or design concepts. | 94.4% | |
| Prepare notes and instructions for workers who assemble and prepare final layouts for printing. | 93.9% | |
| Use computer software to generate new images. | 85.7% | |
| Develop graphics and layouts for product illustrations, company logos, and Web sites. | 78.8% |
What people most often hand AI here
Example prompts phrased from the tasks people most often delegate to AI in this occupation (Anthropic Economic Index). Each shows the underlying measured task and its share of observed AI use. They are suggested phrasings of real tasks — starting points, not endorsed instructions.
-
Help me use computer software to generate new images.From: Use computer software to generate new images. · 8.2% of measured AI use · directive
-
Help me determine size and arrangement of illustrative material and copy, and select style and size of type.From: Determine size and arrangement of illustrative material and copy, and select style and size of type. · 2.3% of measured AI use · task iteration
-
Help me prepare notes and instructions for workers who assemble and prepare final layouts for printing.From: Prepare notes and instructions for workers who assemble and prepare final layouts for printing. · 1.2% of measured AI use · task iteration
-
Help me develop graphics and layouts for product illustrations, company logos, and Web sites.From: Develop graphics and layouts for product illustrations, company logos, and Web sites. · 0.5% of measured AI use · task iteration
Tasks
All 16 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, ordered by importance. Each links to its own page with AI-exposure and observed-use detail.
- Key information into computer equipment to create layouts for client or supervisor. Core · importance 4.7
- Review final layouts and suggest improvements, as needed. Core · importance 4.7
- Determine size and arrangement of illustrative material and copy, and select style and size of type. Core · importance 4.6
- Develop graphics and layouts for product illustrations, company logos, and Web sites. Core · importance 4.6
- Create designs, concepts, and sample layouts, based on knowledge of layout principles and esthetic design concepts. Core · importance 4.5
- Use computer software to generate new images. Core · importance 4.5
- Confer with clients to discuss and determine layout design. Core · importance 4.3
- Draw and print charts, graphs, illustrations, and other artwork, using computer. Core · importance 4.2
- Mark up, paste, and assemble final layouts to prepare layouts for printer. Supplemental · importance 4.1
- Maintain archive of images, photos, or previous work products. Core · importance 4.1
- Study illustrations and photographs to plan presentation of materials, products, or services. Core · importance 4.1
- Prepare illustrations or rough sketches of material, discussing them with clients or supervisors and making necessary changes. Core · importance 4.0
- Prepare notes and instructions for workers who assemble and prepare final layouts for printing. Supplemental · importance 4.0
- Research new software or design concepts. Core · importance 3.5
- Produce still and animated graphics for on-air and taped portions of television news broadcasts, using electronic video equipment. Supplemental · importance 3.0
- Photograph layouts, using camera, to make layout prints for supervisors or clients. Supplemental · importance 2.8
Work activities
- Maintain records, documents, or other files.
- Research new technologies.
- Operate photographic developing or print production equipment.
- Perform administrative or clerical tasks.
- Conduct market research.
- Collect data about customer needs.
- Conduct research to inform art, designs, or other work.
- Edit written materials.
- Write advertising or promotional material.
- Design layout of art or product exhibits, displays, or promotional materials.
- Design layouts for print publications.
- Create computer-generated graphics or animation.
- Draw detailed or technical illustrations.
- Review art or design materials.
- Collaborate with others to develop or refine designs.
- Confer with clients to determine needs.
- Operate still or video cameras or related equipment.
Knowledge, skills & abilities
O*NET importance rating, from 1 (not important) to 5 (extremely important).
Knowledge
Abilities
| Originality | 4.0 | |
| Fluency of Ideas | 3.9 | |
| Near Vision | 3.9 | |
| Written Comprehension | 3.8 | |
| Oral Comprehension | 3.6 | |
| Oral Expression | 3.5 | |
| Written Expression | 3.5 | |
| Deductive Reasoning | 3.3 | |
| Visual Color Discrimination | 3.3 | |
| Speech Recognition | 3.3 | |
| Speech Clarity | 3.3 | |
| Problem Sensitivity | 3.1 | |
| Inductive Reasoning | 3.1 | |
| Information Ordering | 3.1 | |
| Visualization | 3.1 | |
| Category Flexibility | 3.0 |
Essential skills
| Active Listening | 3.8 | |
| Speaking | 3.4 | |
| Writing | 3.3 | |
| Critical Thinking | 3.3 | |
| Active Learning | 3.3 | |
| Reading Comprehension | 3.1 | |
| Monitoring | 3.0 |
Transferable skills
| Social Perceptiveness | 3.1 | |
| Coordination | 3.1 | |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.1 | |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.1 | |
| Time Management | 3.1 | |
| Persuasion | 3.0 | |
| Negotiation | 3.0 | |
| Service Orientation | 3.0 |
Skills in demand
Skills employers ask for in job postings for this occupation (Lightcast), with whether each is a common or specialized skill.
Showing the top 40 of 68.
Tools & technology
Showing the top 40 of 79.
Work context
How characteristic each condition is of the job, on O*NET's 1–5 context scale (higher = more present in day-to-day work). Each condition links to how it varies across all occupations.
How to get in
- Job zone
- Zone 4 — Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
- Education
- Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
- Typical entry-level education
- Bachelor's degree · BLS, the typical path — not a requirement
- Related experience
- A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.
- Preparation level
- SVP (7.0 to < 8.0) — total schooling plus on-the-job experience.
What to study: Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services , Visual and Performing Arts . Fields of study crosswalked to this occupation (NCES CIP–SOC), not a requirement.
Education of current workers
Share of people in this occupation at each level of education.
| Bachelor's Degree | 65.0% | |
| High School Diploma | 15.0% | |
| Master's Degree | 10.0% | |
| Some College Courses | 5.0% | |
| Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree) | 5.0% |
Interests & work styles
The interests and personal qualities O*NET associates with people who do this work.
Career interests (Holland / RIASEC)
| Artistic | 7.0 | |
| Conventional | 3.9 | |
| Enterprising | 3.4 | |
| Realistic | 3.4 | |
| Investigative | 2.9 | |
| Social | 2.2 |
Interest areas
| Visual Arts | 6.7 | |
| Applied Arts and Design | 6.6 | |
| Media | 5.0 | |
| Marketing/Advertising | 3.7 | |
| Information Technology | 2.6 | |
| Management/Administration | 2.0 | |
| Sales | 1.9 | |
| Public Speaking | 1.8 |
Work styles
| Innovation | 2.5 | |
| Attention to Detail | 2.4 |
Wages & employment
U.S. · annual wages (BLS OEWS)
| 10th percentile | $37,600 |
| 25th percentile | $47,200 |
| Median (50th) | $61,300 |
| 75th percentile | $79,000 |
| 90th percentile | $103,030 |
| People employed | 214,260 |
Industries that employ this occupation
Where these workers are employed, by number of jobs (national, BLS OEWS). Pay shown is the occupation's national median, not industry-specific.
| Industry | Workers | National median pay |
|---|---|---|
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services · Sector | 81,130 | $65,490 |
| Manufacturing · Sector | 37,680 | $48,950 |
| Information · Sector | 21,120 | $63,170 |
| Wholesale Trade · Sector | 14,160 | $60,390 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises · Sector | 9,990 | $72,960 |
| Retail Trade · Sector | 9,620 | $51,540 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services · Sector | 9,260 | $67,380 |
| Educational Services · Sector | 7,770 | $59,830 |
| Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation · Sector | 4,140 | $59,190 |
| Finance and Insurance · Sector | 4,040 | $76,740 |
| Other Services (except Public Administration) · Sector | 3,710 | $61,620 |
| Newspaper Publishers · National industry | 3,400 | $38,210 |
Where this work is most concentrated
Industries where this occupation is far more common than in the economy as a whole. The location quotient is how many times more concentrated it is here (a value of 5 means five times its economy-wide share).
| Industry | Concentration | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Newspaper Publishers · National industry | 27× | 3,400 |
| Television Broadcasting Stations · National industry | 9.42× | 850 |
| Jewelry and Silverware Manufacturing · National industry | 5.78× | 160 |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services · Sector | 5.42× | 81,130 |
| Information · Sector | 5.23× | 21,120 |
| Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities · National industry | 3.08× | 260 |
| Radio Broadcasting Stations · National industry | 2.78× | 200 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises · Sector | 2.56× | 9,990 |
Related occupations
Part of the Arts, Entertainment, & Design career cluster.
- Special Effects Artists and Animators · 27-1014.00 Compare →
- Art Directors · 27-1011.00 Compare →
- Web and Digital Interface Designers · 15-1255.00 Compare →
- Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators · 27-1013.00 Compare →
- Desktop Publishers · 43-9031.00 Compare →
- Video Game Designers · 15-1255.01 Compare →
- Set and Exhibit Designers · 27-1027.00 Compare →
- Commercial and Industrial Designers · 27-1021.00 Compare →
- Interior Designers · 27-1025.00 Compare →
- Software Developers · 15-1252.00 Compare →
- Fashion Designers · 27-1022.00 Compare →
- Craft Artists · 27-1012.00 Compare →
Side-by-side comparisons place two occupations’ pay, preparation, skills, and AI exposure on the same page — same data, same scale, no forecast.
What you can do with this
Options the data surfaces for Graphic Designers — not advice or a forecast. Each is a real cross-link you can follow into the evidence.
Skills that travel
Capabilities this work builds that are used across many other occupations.
Adjacent roles
Occupations O*NET rates as related — the nearby moves on the map.
Paths in
How people typically prepare for this work.
- Bachelor's degree · typical entry level
- Job zone 4 — Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed · preparation tier
- Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services · field of study
- Visual and Performing Arts · field of study
Zoom out
On the global GenAI exposure gradient this work sits around the 88th percentile of 427 international occupations.
Write a report on thisheadline · factoids · citation
Graphic Designers show 80th-percentile AI task overlap — and about 20,000 annual U.S. openings
- Graphic Designers rank in the 80th percentile (High band) for AI task overlap across U.S. occupations — a measure of how much of the work today's AI can attempt, not how much is automated.Eloundou et al. (GPTs are GPTs) + Felten AIOE
- The occupation is projected to see about 20,000 U.S. job openings per year (2024–34), counting growth and replacement — a labor-demand projection made independently of AI.BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
- BLS projects employment to be about average (+2.1%) from 2024 to 2034.BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
- Median annual pay is $61,300, across about 214,260 U.S. workers.BLS OEWS (May 2024)
- Of the AI use actually observed for this work, 48% looks like augmentation (drafting, iterating, checking) rather than hands-off automation — from a Claude.ai usage sample, not a census.2026-01-15-v4-plus-2025-03-27-v2
Copy the whole kit
Graphic Designers show 80th-percentile AI task overlap — and about 20,000 annual U.S. openings • Graphic Designers rank in the 80th percentile (High band) for AI task overlap across U.S. occupations — a measure of how much of the work today's AI can attempt, not how much is automated. (Eloundou et al. (GPTs are GPTs) + Felten AIOE) • The occupation is projected to see about 20,000 U.S. job openings per year (2024–34), counting growth and replacement — a labor-demand projection made independently of AI. (BLS Employment Projections 2024–34) • BLS projects employment to be about average (+2.1%) from 2024 to 2034. (BLS Employment Projections 2024–34) • Median annual pay is $61,300, across about 214,260 U.S. workers. (BLS OEWS (May 2024)) • Of the AI use actually observed for this work, 48% looks like augmentation (drafting, iterating, checking) rather than hands-off automation — from a Claude.ai usage sample, not a census. (2026-01-15-v4-plus-2025-03-27-v2) Source: Singulariki — "Graphic Designers". https://singulariki.com/roles/role-27-1024-00 Note: AI task overlap measures what today's AI can attempt, not automation, job loss, or a forecast.
AssetsShare imageMethodology & sourcesPress & newsroomThe newsroom
Every line is built only from figures this page already shows and cites. AI task overlap means what today's AI can attempt — not automation, job loss, or a forecast.
Sources for this page
Every figure above traces to a named public dataset and the exact release below — not hand-written opinion. See the full methodology for what each measure does and does not mean.
- O*NET 30.3 U.S. Department of Labor / National Center for O*NET Development
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27) Anthropic
- Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai Microsoft Research
- “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130 OpenAI / academic
- AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans academic
- ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025 International Labour Organization
- IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022 Institute for Structural Research (IBS)
- Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation academic
- Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome academic
Data compiled June 2, 2026. Figures are estimates, not advice.
Cite this page
Plain
Singulariki. "Graphic Designers." Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Built from O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27); Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans; ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025; IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022; Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation; Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome. Accessed June 7, 2026. https://singulariki.com/roles/role-27-1024-00
APA
Singulariki. (2026). Graphic Designers. Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Retrieved June 7, 2026, from https://singulariki.com/roles/role-27-1024-00
BibTeX
@misc{singulariki-role-27-1024-00,
title = {Graphic Designers},
author = {{Singulariki}},
year = {2026},
note = {O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27); Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans; ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025; IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022; Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation; Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome. Accessed June 7, 2026},
url = {https://singulariki.com/roles/role-27-1024-00}
} Citations name the underlying public dataset releases — they reflect what this page is built from, not just the URL.