Design leaders see widening salary gaps between product and brand designers

Design · 5 min read

Product designers who directly contribute to metrics like activation, retention, and conversion are being compensated at a premium. Conversely, brand and visual designers, while essential, often occupy lower salary bands in product-centric organizations.

Hiring managers suggest hybridizing teams by offering career pathways for brand designers to learn product design skills or to specialize in design systems and motion to increase market value. Agencies and consumer-facing companies still pay well for strong brand portfolios.

Designers should assess where their strengths align: moving into product design can boost earning potential, but it requires experience with product metrics, cross-functional ownership, and iterative testing. Brand designers who bolster their strategic and UX skills can bridge the gap.

Organizations that transparently map career ladders across design disciplines report better retention and less internal salary tension, as designers see routes to higher compensation without losing craft specialization.