Highest Paying Design Careers in India: Salary, Colleges and Hiring Companies

Highest Paying Design Careers in India: Salary, Colleges and Hiring Companies

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Sayeba
Sayeba Naushad
Assistant Manager
Updated on Aug 18, 2026 16:32 IST
Want to make a career in design? And thinking what are the top high paying career in design? Then you are the right place, because here we will see top career opportunities for design graduates and undergraduates.A diverse and creative door opens up after completing the B.Des and M.Des. It gives opportunities to enter various industries.

Design is one of the most dynamic industries in India. This industry is showing a massive increase in employment and job opportunities for people. Read in detail to know about the highest-paying career opportunities in India.

Highest Paying Design Careers in India

Highest Paying Design Careers in India

Making a career in Design demands a creative mind and soul, along with hard work. As this industry is booming very fast, it is offering lucrative salaries to people. One can become a Fashion designer, Footwear designer, Jewellery designer, Textile designer, Apparel Developer, Knitwear Designer, Sampling Coordinator, Pattern Maker, Fashion Stylist, Visual Merchandiser, Photographer, etc, if he/she pursues Design as a career in India.

Table of contents
  • Top Highest-paying Design Career Opportunities in India
  • Salary of Design Careers in India
  • Colleges and Exams to get Admission in Design Colleges
  • Skills every Design Graduate must have
  • Top Companies Hiring Design Graduates and Post Graduates

Top Highest-paying Design Career Opportunities in India

Some of the highest paying careers in Design are given below.

  • UI/UX Designer: With the rising demand of IT companies, e-commerce services, apps, etc, UI/UX designer is trending. It focuses on understanding user needs and designing user-friendly interfaces.
  • Graphic Designer: This specialization is trending because there is an increase in demand for branding, marketing, advertising, etc. Graphic Designers work on illustrations and layouts. They use various graphical tools, like Adobe Photoshop, Figma, CorelDRAW, etc.
  • Advertising and Brand Designer: Here, the main work is to design ad films, short films for brands for promotion. Big companies hire brand designers for their brands and pay them really well.
  • Product Designer: This specialisation opens the door to industries like consumer electronics, tech innovations, etc. Many startups are also emerging, which require a Product designer to bring new products to the market. It required designing physical or digital products.
  • Animation Film Designer: It is one of the most trending fields as there is a boom in the OTT and gaming industry. It focuses on creating animated content for short films, documentaries, games and social media. Brands like Vodafone, Disney, Mc Donald's hire Animation film designers.
  • Fashion Designer: This career can never go out of trend. The fashion industry is dynamic and creative, with new trends every day. It focuses on apparel design and market trends. For example, the revival of Benarasi Saree or Sustainable clothing by famous brands like H&M and ZARA, all comes under Fashion Design.
  • Interior Designer: With the increase in infrastructural development, like apartments, studio apartments, cafes, and restaurants, there is a demand for Interior and Spatial Design graduates and post-graduates. They focus on eco-friendly and modern designs.
  • Sustainable Designer: The world is now focusing more on curbing the effects of globalisation. More focus is now being given to making recyclable and sustainable products, which are eco-friendly. A career in Sustainable Design helps in getting into organisations that focus on creating such products and services.
  • Game Designer: The Gaming industry has seen tremendous growth in recent years. This career focuses on designing games and interactive experiences. This industry is growing at a very fast pace and offeres good salary.
  • Social Impact Designer: Social Impact Designer is the new trend as big organisations, NGOs and even the government are hiring professionals to solve social problems by designing products and services that will help in curbing social problems. Graduates with this specialisation will need to focus on solving social, environments and community challenges with their products and services.
Q&A Icon
Commonly asked questions
Q:   What is NIFT cut-off for Accessory Design programme for NIFT Bangalore campus?
A: 

The category-wise cut-off for the Accessory Design programme for NIFT Bangalore campus is given below:

Category

Opening Rank

Closing Rank

EWS

1099

2179

OBC (NC)

438

1333

Open

35

482

SC

2034

4214

ST

2839

7286

Note that reserved category candidates will be considered for admission to both their reserved and open categories.

Q:   What are the career prospects after completing B.Des from UCEED-participating institutes?
A: 

Graduates from B.Des programmes can explore careers in:

  • UI/UX Design

  • Product Design

  • Graphic Design

  • Animation & VFX

  • Industrial Design

  • Interaction Design

  • Game Design

  • Advertising & Branding

Q:   Can students from Commerce/ Arts or Humanities apply for admission to IIT Guwahati through UCEED 2027?
A: 

Yes, candidates from all streams can fill the application form of UCEED. Also, note that Biology will not be considered in place of Mathematics. The application form for UCEED 2027 must be filled out by candidates after ascertaining their eligibility. IIT Roorkee has the same eligibility criteria as IIT Guwahati.

 

Q:   Will UCEED cut-off be round specific?
A: 

Yes, UCEED Cutoff will be round specific. It will be released separately for each round of seat allotment. Candidates who meet cut-off criteria in their categories will be considered for admission to the B. Des programme.

Cut-off for each round will be different for various categories like OPEN, OBC-NCL, SC, ST, etc. 

Salary of Design Careers in India

The average salary of design careers in India is given below.

Career Average Salary
UI/UX Designer 5.6 LPA
Graphic Designer 1.7 to 6.3 LPA
Advertising and Brand Designer 3.8 to 19.0 LPA
Product Designer 3.5 to 26.0 LPA
Animation Film Designer 4 - 8 LPA
Fashion Designer 5 - 10 LPA
Interior Designer 9 to 25 LPA
Sustainable Designer

4 to 20 LPA

Game Designer

4.7 to 15 LPA

Social Impact Designer 4.5 to 6 LPA
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Colleges and Exams to get Admission in Design Colleges

Some of the top institutes to study design are given below.

Exam Name Conducting Body Top Institutes Course Offered (B.Des and M.Des)
NID DAT National Institute of Design NID Ahmedabad, NID AP, NID Haryana, NID Madhya Pradesh Graphic Design, Animation, Product Design, Textile, Film & Video, Exhibition, etc.
UCEED IIT Bombay IIT Bombay, IIT Guwahati, IIT Delhi, IIT Hyderabad, IIITDM Jabalpur UI/UX, Product Design, Visual Communication, Mobility Design, etc.
NIFT Entrance Exam National Testing Agency (NTA) NIFT Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, etc. Fashion Design, Textile, Knitwear, Accessory, Leather, Fashion Communication, Apparel Prod.
SEED Symbiosis Institute of Design (SID) SID Pune Communication Design, Industrial Design, Fashion Communication, Fashion Design
AIEED ARCH College of Design & Business ARCH Jaipur Fashion, Interior, Product, Graphic, Jewellery Design
Pearl Academy Entrance Pearl Academy Pearl Academy (Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Jaipur) Fashion Design, Product Design, Communication Design, Interior Design
IIAD Entrance Exam Indian Institute of Art and Design IIAD Fashion Design, Communication Design, Interior Architecture
Srishti Entrance (SMEAT) Srishti Manipal Institute Srishti Manipal (Bangalore) Animation, Industrial Arts, Digital Media, Visual Communication, Contemporary Art
MIT DAT MIT Institute of Design MIT Institute of Design, Pune Product, Transportation, Interior, Graphic, Fashion Design
UPES DAT University of Petroleum and Energy Studies UPES School of Design, Dehradun Game Design, Product Design, UI/UX, Interior, Animation
Q&A Icon
Commonly asked questions
Q:   Can Diploma candidates apply for admission to M.Des programme through NID DAT?
A: 

Diploma candidates need to meet the following conditions for admission:

  • Done full-time Diploma of 4-year duration after 10+2
  • Diploma in the following subjects is accepted - Design/ Fine Arts/ Applied Arts/ Architecture.
  • The Diploma must be done from a university or institute recognised by law in India.
Q:   What are the design courses offered through NID DAT exam?
A: 

The NIDs offer a full-time B.Des programme of 4-year duration, and a full-time M.Des programme of two-and-half years duration. 

The institute, in addition, also offers a PhD program. The programme can be pursed full-time or part-time. 

Admission to the design courses at the NID is conducted through a Design Aptitude Test (DAT). The exam comprise DAT Prelims and DAT Mains.

The final result or merit list is prepared by giving weightage to DAT Prelims and DAT Mains.

Q:   What is the expected cutoff for NIFT for B.Des?
A: 

The expected cutoff for NIFT 2027 for B.Des is:

CategoryExpected Cutoff for B.Des
Open30-80
EWS26-29
OBC26-29
SC22
ST19
Q:   What is the NIFT Daman cutoff?
A: 

The NIFT Daman Cutoff 2026 for the fourth round for students falling under the General AI category were from 764 to 3489.

For other categories, please see the table given below:

Category 2026 Cutoff range 
OBC831-6176
SC8307-10045
EWS7757-9670

 

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Skills every Design Graduate must have

  1. Creative Thinking: This is one of the most important skills for a design student. It is a natural skill, but it can be polished. Design students must think creatively. They must bring original ideas, explore art and architecture, and participate in various design challenges.
  2. Sketching and Visualisation: Sketching skills never get old. This has to be developed and polished. Students should regularly practice sketching, especially perspective drawing, human figures, shapes, layouts, etc. Sketching helps to express ideas in a better way.
  3. Design Thinking: Every design student must think in this way. It is a way of providing solutions through design. It includes developing problem-solving skills and helps to create solutions.
  4. Digital Skills: In this world, design students must have good knowledge of software and tools that are used in the industry. This will help in preparing them for better opportunities. Some of the software are Adobe Photoshop, Adobe InDesign, Figma, etc.
  5. Attention to Detail: Design students must develop this skill of giving attention to the tiniest thing present in a textile, sketch, product, painting, etc. It will help them in determining the quality of design and the needs of the customer or examiner.

Explore more Design exams with upcoming dates

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1 Oct '26 - 31 Oct '26

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7 Nov '26

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NMIMS DAT 2027 Online registrations

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Top Companies Hiring Design Graduates and Post Graduates

Some of the companies which hire people from design background are given below.

  • Raymonds
  • Arvind Garments
  • Levis
  • Madura Garments
  • Omega Designs
  • Pantaloon
  • Shahi Exports
  • Spykar
  • Uni Style India
  • Pearl Global

  • Kimaya

  • Indus League Clothing
  • United Colors of Benetton
  • ITC Ltd.
  • Lifestyle
  • Modelama Exports
  • Orient Craft
  • Proline
  • Span India
  • Swarovski India
  • Texport Overseas
  • Shoppers Stop
  • Mahajan Overseas
  • Gokuldas Images
  • H&M
  • Zara
  • Marks and Spencer
  • FabIndia
  • Aditya Birla Fashion
  • Myntra
  • Nykaa
  • Ajio

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About the Author
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Sayeba Naushad
Assistant Manager

Sayeba Naushad is a commerce postgraduate from Banaras Hindu University. She has over five years of experience in content writing and editing. She has a nose for current events in design field. At Shiksha.com, she s

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