NYC Salary surprise
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- nylon
So I was on the beers last night with 6 designer friends who work as:
1) Senior Designers
2) Design Directors
3) Creative Directorsat well respected branding agencies.
They are NOT digital folk so to speak and work on mainly design for print.
I was pretty shocked to hear the range of salaries between them all to be honest... The two seniors told me their DD's were on 120 and 190 respectively and they werent really THAT good.
HTF can one company value someone at 70k more than someone else!?!?!
Just out of interest, if you had to give examples for 1,2 and 3 - what would your ball parks be?
- Continuity0
Name: Jim
...
- spot130
General rule, you make more than everyone you manage and you make a little more for each person you manage. If you're good at spotting and managing talent, you don't necessarily need to be good at anything else.
- OSFA0
I'm sorry (and pardon my ignorance here) but is $120-$190 a good salary in NYC? Enough to live on your own, or in the city?
- not bad, depending on where in the city you live and if you live alone, have a spouse with an income, etc.bulletfactory
- depends if you have a gambling addiction or not. That much could even pay for coke AND a familyProjectile
- have you lived in new york? supporting a family on 160k could be tight; again, depending on where you live.bulletfactory
- I think you can live decent for 160. NYC is crazy.omahadesigns
- Frosty_spl0
When I worked for a big agency in Atlanta, I was trying to get an AD job in NYC, 3 different places wanted to pay me 85k. I said no way and moved to So Cal instead.
- I'm digital.Frosty_spl
- One place wanted to pay me $65k.Frosty_spl
- A friend of mine (accts) was offered less money up in NYC that she was making down here. Y&R. pffft.OSFA
- OSFA0
So, let's say you want to live in Manhattan (from Hell's Kitchen all the way down to Chelsea or Village as an example) and have a family- working spouse, and want to live comfortably. Is $120-$160 enough? I've heard mixed stories...
- agreedbulletfactory
- I can't believe with $120 - $160k + a wife's salary that it can't be done.CyBrainX
- If you want a penthouse, no way. If you want a 2br, it's not that expensive.omahadesigns
- doesnotexist0
respected agencies, ha! good one
it's not about being good at an agency, it's about how flexible you are in bending over for the big political cock they'll shove up your ass. they must be good at it!
- C===8 thiscannonball1978
- < ding ding ding!!!Maaku
- < weird looking cock broAl_dizzle
- bulletfactory0
My first job in NYC was as an AD for $83k. Seemed like a lot since I had just moved from Central Missouri.
I found out that they paid creative very fucking little, comparatively. Well-below market for the level of talent I worked with.
- monospaced0
Our senior designers make $95-120K, in-house, NYC. Above that is probably in the range the OP noted. It's standard, and it's a livable salary here.
- You know people live on minimum wage in the city too?omahadesigns
- cannonball19780
When I got out of school ten years ago, everyone was like "triple digit salary is unheard of for seniors".
lol
- deathboy0
damn and here i'm happy to have something around 50k
- I'm sure in Reno, NV, $50K is the same as $90K in NYC.monospaced
- I could buy a large house in Reno for what I pay to rent an apartment in NYCmonospaced
- Yea probably. I only pay like 1100 for a 2 bedroom apartment.deathboy
- a decent 2bdrm in Manhattan is $3500-$4500/monthmonospaced
- That's fucking depressing.Continuity
- well, salary adjustment makes sense... a senior designer has the same expendable cash in either city at the endmonospaced
- Fucking tell me about it!nylon
- What?! Is it really that expensive? Where do all the starbucks and taco hell workers live? Fuck off places like NYC, SF, LA.deathboy
- They live outside Manhattan. It's not as expensive when you take a train a little waymonospaced
- And btw, SF rents are just as high, if not higher.monospaced
- nylon0
$120k for a 'senior' is pretty good IMO...
Senior Designers in London are probably on £45k so say $65k...
Thats a good salary in London too!
- nylon0
That said - I also heard on the grapevine that good designers in NYC can charge $100 per hour.
We had some freelancers in here from Creative Circle for like 60/70/80 per hour and they didnt know their ass from their elbow... That actually blew my mind that these people came into our studio, sat on their elbows all day and got paid for it!!
- Charging a blended rate between $125-150 per hour in Philly.utopian
- I would think that in NYC it would be more like 175-200 per hour.utopian
- Fuck it - lets go freelance!nylon
- utopian's closedoesnotexist
- Good designers in ATL charge $100 or more.Frosty_spl
- Why did you hire Creative Circle??omahadesigns
- shesh0
Creative Circle have been sending some really incredibly bad designers here too, sounds like a common thing.
- Is it that hard to put an ad on Craigslist? You might find someone better and be able to pay them half the price.omahadesigns
- _niko0
just curious, what were the age ranges?
- OSFA0
19 and 22
- DaveO0
I lived on 80k in NYC and paid for a wedding. No fucking idea how i did it.