I’m Kayla, a graphic designer who moved to Austin with two suitcases, my iPad, and a scrappy portfolio. I wanted tacos, music, and a real job. I got all three. Sort of. Let me explain.
For another frank breakdown of the local scene, check out this honest take on graphic design jobs in Austin, TX from the Moon & Back Graphics crew.
Austin looks bright for design. Murals pop. Studios hum. But the job hunt felt like a long summer run on South Congress. Fun, but hot.
So, how’s the hunt?
Busy. Friendly. Competitive.
I found work in three lanes: agencies, in-house teams, and scrappy startups. Each one felt different. Each one taught me a thing.
And you know what? The city helps. People here hold doors and share leads. I got more “Hey, send your reel” notes here than anywhere else.
Real gigs I landed (and almost landed)
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GSD&M — I made the final round for a junior spot. The take-home brief was to brand a taco festival. I built bright type, a playful grid, and hand-drawn peppers in Procreate. They liked my color story. They hired someone else. I was bummed for a day. Then I kept going.
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YETI (contract) — A recruiter from Creative Circle reached out. Three months on packaging templates and store displays. $38/hour as W-2. Fast pace. Clear feedback. I spent one week fixing dielines and another week prepping art for a holiday rack. The team brought breakfast tacos on Fridays. Small detail, big mood.
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East 6th startup — I did hybrid work for a health app. Figma all day. Icons, emails, App Store screens, and a small motion bump in After Effects. They were kind, but the roadmap moved like Austin weather. Sun. Storm. Sun again. Good thing I like puzzles.
I also picked up local work from Austin Digital Jobs and AIGA Austin. One was a rebrand for a food truck off South Lamar. The brief was simple: “Make it fun, but not goofy.” We landed on bold pink, a chunky logo, and a menu board you could read from the curb. It paid $1,800 and free quesadillas. Don’t judge. They were great.
Quick tangent: when the workload spiked, I experimented with different ways to scale—first by partnering with offshore designers (spoiler: here’s what really happened), and later by testing a white-label service (the full story is right here). Those trials taught me to vet partners as carefully as I vet clients.
Where I actually found the leads
- Built In Austin — direct apply worked for me twice.
- Austin Digital Jobs — that Facebook group has real folks and real talk.
- AIGA Austin — meetups, Slack, and portfolio nights helped a lot.
- Dribbble and Behance — I got two DMs after posting fresh case studies.
- Creative Circle and Cella — recruiters who know design. I kept my resume tight and my samples simple.
I also browse Moon & Back Graphics whenever I need a fast jolt of layout inspiration—their case studies remind me how tight storytelling and bold visuals can sing.
If you like people time, CreativeMornings Austin is lovely. I met a producer there who later sent me a small deck job for a local nonprofit. Paid on time. Bless.
Pay that made sense (from what I saw)
This is what I lived or heard from friends. Your miles may vary.
- Junior full-time: $50k to $65k
- Mid-level: $70k to $90k
- Senior: $95k to $120k
- Contract design: $35 to $65 per hour
- Branding gigs for small shops: $1,500 to $6,000
- Motion adds a bump. Even light motion helps.
Want more data points to benchmark your offer? The latest averages for graphic designers in Austin hover around the mid-$50s according to Indeed’s salary breakdown, while the tech-centric numbers on Built In Austin show a similar midpoint once bonuses are factored in.
Benefits are hit or miss. Agencies had great culture but longer nights. In-house felt steadier. Startups gave me range and whiplash. I kind of liked both.
Tools teams asked for
Figma, Adobe CC (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign), and light motion in After Effects. A few teams smiled when I knew HTML/CSS basics. No one yelled when I didn’t. If you're still pinpointing where to hone those skills, this roundup of the best schools for graphic design includes firsthand notes on what each campus really offers.
The vibe, for real
People are warm. Dogs show up at work. Coffee is strong. Houndstooth on North Lamar saved me twice during deck season. Createscape Coworking on the east side is calm and cheap-ish. I sketched there a lot.
Traffic on I-35? Rough. I learned to stack meetings late morning and leave before 5. Summer heat is real. Bring water. And sunscreen. And patience.
Sometimes, after a marathon day nudging pixels, I needed a totally unrelated mental break. One surprisingly amusing detour was spinning the wheel on anonymous video-chat sites—think digital small talk with strangers from everywhere. My favorite rundown of how one of those “roulette” style platforms actually works is captured in this candid Dirty Roulette review. It unpacks the pros, cons, safety pointers, and overall entertainment value, so you can decide if a late-night chat spin is a harmless diversion or a hard pass.
On nights when even that felt too random and I was curious about more curated, adults-only social scenes, I dug into how other cities structure grown-up meet-ups; this guide to Garner swingers walks through local event calendars, house-party etiquette, and safety best practices so you can gauge whether exploring that lifestyle could be your next unconventional reboot or just an interesting read.
What I loved
- Range of work: tech, CPG, outdoor brands, music, nonprofits.
- Community: folks share leads and feedback.
- Cost of living: not low, but still kinder than the coasts.
- Fun briefs: Austin brands like color and a wink.
What I didn’t love
- Take-home tests without pay. I now ask, “Is this paid?” Sometimes they say yes.
- Competition. Lots of talented people land here.
- Pay can trail SF/NY for the same workload.
- Late nights near launch. Not always, but enough.
Little things that helped me get yeses
- I kept my portfolio tight: six clear projects, each with one problem, my steps, and the result.
- I showed process shots: messy sketches, bad first drafts, quick notes. Teams like to see thinking.
- I made quick mockups that felt real: cans, menus, bus wraps, app screens. Simple > fancy.
- I brought a one-page PDF per project. Recruiters loved that.
- I followed up within 24 hours. Short note. One sentence on how I’d add value.
- Unsure whether those class assignments deserve a spot in your book? This piece breaks it down: Should I include class projects in my graphic design portfolio?
A small, true moment
After a long week on that YETI contract, I walked by the “You’re My Butter Half” mural. It was 7 PM. My feet hurt. I still smiled. My work sits in little corners of this city now—on a menu, a box, a tiny icon no one thinks about. That felt good.
Final take
Austin gets a solid 4.3 out of 5 for graphic design jobs. Not perfect. Pretty great.
If you like bright color, kind people, and work that moves fast, this town fits. Bring a clean portfolio, a calm voice, and a hat. The rest, you’ll learn as you go. And if you see me at Houndstooth with three lattes and a frazzled bun—say hi. I’ll share the brief.