The Most Demanded Professions and Trends In Design In 2023

In this digitized area, tasks cannot  be all managed by a sort of ‘universal graphic designer’. Businesses also need UX/UI specialists, motion designers or 3D artists, for example, who have a narrower scope of tasks. We tried to figure out which designers are in demand now, what is important for companies in 2023, and which of the designers can safely plan relocation, because they will be needed abroad as well.

Which Designers Companies Are Recruiting the Most 

Before we start talking about the profession of design, let’s first observe a crucial (and not so pleasant) element about the market as a whole. It is now difficult for junior specialists to find work in the world market with a decent salary. And the tendency is noticeable in the sector design but not only. This is a phenomenon that’s happening generally in all directions.

In a normal situation, when the market grows and new businesses appear, large companies are pretty ready to endorse and prepare juniors in their team so that they work on the tasks that seniors want to delegate. But in the reality in which we find ourselves right now, business needs middle specialists. This means people who already know how to bring money to the company.

Therefore, business in crisis situations is based on middles and seniors. But they are not looking for juniors to hire.. In the same way, a company is not eager to hire expensive top managers, because they take large parts of the firm’s budget.

Junior designers in such a situation need to gain experience and build a ‘heavy’ portfolio by all ways possible. This should not be one graduation project from an online course or school, but as many real, effective cases as possible.

What Else Can Be Done Then to Have a Well-Packed Portfolio?

Independently invent problems and create design solutions for them.

Look for part time jobs, and use the rest of your time to get better at it. 

Consider internships at startups. You can work for some time for little money or even just for the sake of experience.

Let's look at several areas in which beginners should improve their skills to get the dream job. Let’s see which designer is better to apply for and where to study as a designer worldwide. 

UX/UI Designers

A High Demand 

This is actually a very promising area as it is a position that you can find almost in all job offers in any IT company. Each product needs a designer who will think through step by step how to use it. Do we still have to tell you that a quality interface is one of the key elements that influence whether a client buys a product or not.

 A User Experience (UX) designer and a User Interface (UI) designer are two different people, with different specialities. That’s why two distinct workers are hired in Western countries' markets. But in many ‘non Western’ countries, in almost 99% of vacancies, these specialties are indicated together. 

Possibility of Relocation

You may have often heard or you may know yourself quite a lot of great UX/UI designers from your country who moved to the Netherlands, to Berlin, to London, to France, etc. These are all middle plus people. If you want to attract foreign employers’ attention to you as a junior, you’ll have to have skills that will be significantly higher than the market average.

Complexity

In the direction of UX/ UI, the difficulty of entry is average. It requires more in terms of the knowledge and skills of a specialist than graphic design. For example, good interface designers, if we are talking about a radical change in profession, are obtained from people with an engineering or architectural education.

Motion Designers

Demand

This is a job that is on a roll. As everything has become interactive, animation is all around us. 

Motion design is an amazing digital tool to fascinate the user and, sometimes, sell something to him. And everything that helps the business to engage the audience in the product is mostly welcome.

If you doubt whether it is worth being a designer and going to study, then you need to understand that the competition in the area is actually less cruel (more lower) than in other sectors. But not because there are many vacancies on the market. This is due to the fact that there are very few people who can make good animation. Let’s put things simply. If you become a highly qualified motion designer, there is no doubt that you’ll find a job very fast.

Possibility of Relocation

People who make good motion designs stand out immediately. This applies not only to finding a job in Russia, but also to opportunities for relocation. Be it abroad or in your country, companies need approximately the same set of technical skills that any good middle-level specialist possesses. The best thing about this position and this level of skill is that you can easily work remotely, work from home (or travel around the world) as long as your job is well done.

Complexity

Motion design is a popular position among people who are willing to dive into the world of design. Now a large number of people are trying to go to work in this area, even more these last few years. But the fact is that this is a rather difficult profession to enter. Even harder than UX/UI design. To tell you the truth, if you have zero knowledge and you’re not 18-20 years old, freshly graduated from school, going into motion design from scratch is not the most constructive strategy.

People are often going into graphic design first, picking up the basic skills, developing their eyesight, and then making the decision to move into motion design. However, cases where, let’s say, plumbers or electricians become motion designers are very rare. That is, it is easier to enter this profession with basic knowledge in design.

Graphic Designers

Demand

The relevance of the profession of graphic designer is not decreasing. Very often, specialists move from graphic design to brand design, and this direction can also be in demand. On the one hand, many companies are leaving and there are fewer customers. But on the other hand, a huge number of companies are buying out international assets and localizing them.

In such cases, it is necessary to involve branding agencies in order to think over new meanings, presentation, design concepts and logos. For these tasks, graphic or brand designers are just needed.

Possibility of Relocation

Graphic design is a profession where it is way much harder to get a job in a foreign company. The relevance of graphic design abroad is lower than UX/UI. 

Complexity

You designers are actually opting for this area when entering the world of design. That’s a way to gain basic skills and further choose the direction of development. If you master the basics of graphic design, why not take the path of motion design or UX/ UI?

Commercial Illustrators

The profession of a commercial illustrator is one of the most promising areas of design. Success in this field requires creativity, technical skills, and professional education in art and design. Commercial illustrators create illustrations for advertising campaigns, book publications, magazines, websites and many other projects. Their task is to draw attention to the product, convey its unique style and create an emotional contact with the consumer. The demand for this profession is steadily growing, so it is one of the most interesting and promising.

Possibility of Relocation

As with graphic designers, it can be quite difficult for a commercial illustrator to relocate to another country. But freelancing or remote work, common in this area, allows you to work from anywhere in the world.

Complexity

If a person has mastered the basics in the form of graphic or other design, it will be relatively easy for him to switch to commercial illustrators. Commercial illustration and brand design are areas that graphic designers often grow into.

Web Designers

Web designers design and develop the look and feel of websites and online services. They study the target audience and think over the interface design that attracts and retains the attention of users as much as possible. What should be the designer to work in this area? In addition to professionalism and technical knowledge, a web designer must be creative and be able to analyze the market and competitors.

Possibility of Relocation

Good web designers are appreciated everywhere. IT is a popular, rapidly growing area, and specialists can be hunted all over the world. But, as is the case with UX/UI designers, foreign companies prefer to hire middle and higher level specialists. However, beginners can count on working in smaller companies remotely or earn extra money on freelance.

Complexity

Web design is not only about creating a pretty picture. This is also a clear interface, adaptability to different screens and web technologies, the ability to communicate with developers and convey thoughts and ideas to them. Therefore, this is not the easiest direction, although not as complex as motion design.

Mobile App Designer

A mobile app designer creates interfaces that are convenient and attractive to users. He must understand the peculiarities of how applications work on various devices and take them into account when designing. To work in this area, a designer needs knowledge of the user interface, experience with graphical tools, and technical knowledge of programming.

Possibility of Relocation

Everything here is about the same as in the case of UX/UI and web design. It is relatively easy for specialists of the middle level and above to get a job in a foreign company and move, because the technologies in other countries are the same. It is better for beginners to gain experience at a local level companies.

Complexity

It is a pretty complex level of training. The designer must have an idea of ​​how mobile applications are arranged and work, at least a little understanding of the technical part. In addition, you need a base in the form of a graphic or other design.

3D Graphics Designer

The profession allows the designer to create virtual objects and spaces that are used in gaming and multimedia projects. Also, a 3D graphics designer can create three-dimensional models for various purposes: architecture, medicine, science, and others. Working in this direction requires specialized knowledge in the field of 3D modeling, as well as a good sense of space and color.

Possibility of Relocation

3D graphics and people who know how to make them are in demand everywhere. Moreover, there are even more positions in foreign companies, because, for example, the gaming market is more developed there. A specialist can work remotely or freelance, but large companies can relocate designers. However, again, we are talking about middle specialists.

Complexity

Medium or higher. 3D design requires good spatial thinking. In addition to working with 

graphics, you need to be able to model, set the light, work with textures. All this requires additional skills and rather powerful equipment.

Game Designers

A game designer creates game scenarios, characters, and other elements for video games. This is one of the most sought after and interesting types of design professions. To work as a designer, you need to know the basics of the gameplay and be able to analyze the market in which you work. He creates game concepts, develops game mechanics and brings the product to market. To work in this area, you need knowledge in the field of programming and art, as well as an understanding of the game design process.

Game designers are always appreciated for all kinds of websites. For example, the Habanero games are a pure piece of artwork. They are interactive, with a nice interface and user friendly. Go check it now.

Possibility of Relocation

If a game designer wants to enter the market of big games, he will need to work for a foreign company anyway. But in order to get a job there and move, you will need to have experience and a portfolio. 

Complexity

Game design is a profession at the intersection of design, storytelling and programming, which also requires a lot of specific skills. So this is a rather difficult area, but interesting, creative and promising.