Rising optimism in salary survey

Growth is forecast by design groups over the next 12 months, with consultancies planning to boost their full-time teams by some 28 per cent.

This prediction by respondents to Design Week’s latest survey of pay and recruitment in the industry builds on reports of an 11 per cent increase in staff within consultancies over the past year.

Top earners across the board of design disciplines tend to be in new media, according to the survey, with junior staff netting some 1000 to 2000 more a year than their peers elsewhere in the industry and “suits” also doing well. But packaging design is the most lucrative activity for senior designers and creative directors, while consultancy heads in packaging groups are the highest earners of all.

The 1996 survey was carried out in association with London recruitment agency Major Players. The findings are based on a questionnaire sent out to 1000 DW readers and a qualitative telephone trawl of selected design industry players.

For full details, see pages 14-17.