Digital design salary guide

Research the latest design salaries in the UK. Our specialist recruiters reveal the average pay brackets we're seeing across the design skill set on both a permanent basis and day rate.

2026 salary guides

Designers are looking for higher pay

Salary is the most important factor for design and creative professionals searching for a new role in 2026. A significant 52% of respondents to our 2026 Annual Pay & Hiring Survey told us it was a key motivator for their job search.  

Pay is a key consideration for attracting and retaining talent. If you’re hiring within the design skill set, we highly recommend benchmarking your salary expectations against the current market before starting your search. 

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Blue pie chart revealing that 52% of designers said pay is a key reason for a job search.

Digital design salaries

Job title
SalaryDay rate
Junior Digital Designer
£26,000 - £30,000£200 - £250
Digital Designer£30,000 - £45,000£275 - £350
Senior Digital Designer£45,000 - £65,000£350 - £450
Design Lead / Design Manager£65,000 - £80,000£450 - £600
Head of Digital Design£80,000 - £110,000£450 - £650
Digital Design Director£100,000 - £170,000£600 - £750
CRM / Email Designer£40,000 - £65,000
£275 - £350 

Creative salaries

Job title
SalaryDay rate
Head of Creative£75,000 - £95,000£400 - £550
Creative Director 
£90,000 - £150,000 
£550 - £800+ 
Creative Strategist (Performance)
£50,000 - £60,000 
£350 - £550 
Senior Creative Strategist (Performance) 
£60,000 - £80,000 
£400 - £600 
Head of Creative Strategy (Performance)
£75,000 - £100,000 
£450 - £700 

Product design salaries

Job title
SalaryDay rate
Product Designer
£45,000 - £65,000£375 - £500
Senior Product Designer£70,000 - £95,000 
£500 - £650 
Lead / Principal Product Designer£90,000 - £130,000 
£650 - £800 
Staff Product Designer 
£90,000 - £130,000 
£600 - £900 
Head of Product Design£100,000 - £150,000 
£700 - £1,000 
Product Design Director 
£130,000 - £250,000 
£750 - £1,200 

UX & UI salaries

Job title
SalaryDay rate
Service Designer
£65,000 - £80,000£400 - £550
UX Designer£45,000 - £65,000£325 - £450
Senior / Lead UX Designer£70,000 - £90,000£450 - £550
Head of UX Design£95,000 - £130,000 
£550 - £700 
Senior / Lead UI Designer 
£65,000 - £95,000 
£400 - £550 
UX/UI Designer 
£45,000 - £65,000 
£375 - £500 
Senior / Lead UX/UI Designer 
£65,000 - £95,000 
£450 - £650 
UX Researcher
£55,000 - £95,000 
£450 - £550 

Video and motion graphics salaries

Job title
SalaryDay rate
Videographer / Editor 
£35,000 - £50,000 
£350 - £450 
Senior Videographer / Editor 
£55,000 - £80,000 
£450 - £600 
Motion Graphics / Video Editor 
£40,000 - £55,000 
£350 - £450
Senior Motion Graphics / Video Editor 
£55,000 - £65,000 
£450 - £550 
Social Media Content Creator
£30,000 - £50,000
£200 - £300

Meet our design recruitment consultants

With decades of experience matching top design talent with their next opportunity, our consultants have built extensive networks across the skill set. Leveraging their knowledge of the current market, they've built this salary guide and other resources to help your organisation grow. Get in touch to learn more about how they can help your brand.

Meet the team

For further guidance around design roles or support with your recruitment needs, get in touch with the team.

Liz Hopkins, Senior Director

Let’s talk

FAQs

When searching for accurate salary information, you shouldn't rely on one source. Research similar job descriptions and leverage data from specialist design recruitment agencies (such as 3Search), job boards, and LinkedIn. This will give you the breadth of information required to make an informed decision.

Yes, according to our data, Digital Designers in the United Kingdom are paid between £30,000 - £45,000. The national median pay for full-time workers is £39,039, meaning that you can earn above the average salary in a digital design role.  

There’s also a wealth of opportunities to progress your career from a Junior all the way through to Director level. You might also choose to pursue UX design. UX professionals tend to earn higher salaries, thanks to the technical aspects of the role. 

The average salary of a UI/UX Designer is £45,000 - £65,000, while the day rate is commonly between £375 - £500. 

For someone more senior in role (Senior or Lead UX/UI Designer), you can expect to pay a higher rate of £65,000 - £95,000. A day rate for this level would be between £450 - £650.