What design job titles really mean

Job titles can be a confusing way to navigate the employment market. For example, what some employers might refer to as a front-end developer, another will call a web designer.

But while there are no hard-and-fast rules about what you have to call a particular role when advertising, there are a certain set of accepted role names that broadly share similar responsibilities. With this in mind, and in the interests of helping demystify who does what, check out some of the most common job titles below, and what they really mean.

Thank you for reading 5 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access

Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription

Join now for unlimited access

Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

Sam Hampton-Smith

Sam is a designer and illustrator based in Scotland, UK. He splits his time between art and design, motion and video and writing for various creative titles. He has written a book about web design, Pro CSS3 Layout Techniques and contributed to typography book, Fonts and Typefaces Made Easy.

Latest in Creative Careers
image of a head surrounded by technology on a pink background
Why you need to trust your gut in creative projects
A day in the life; Sanjay Trimbakkar; vfx director
A day in the life: FutureWorks' visualisation director Sanjay Trimbakkar
Kieron Lewis headshot - man in an orange shirt
"It was only when I took a step back that folks started to notice": A day in the life of graphic designer Kieron Lewis
The Cameron Twins
A day in the life: The Cameron Twins
Mark Hauser
A day in the life: applied behavioural scientist Mark Hauser
Day in the life, Jerad Marantz; a man in glasses
A day in the life: creature designer Jerad Marantz
Latest in Features
Selection of Guinness ads throughout the ages
The best Guinness adverts of all time – from the toucan to a singing pint
Tina Touli headshot
"The 9 to 5 work routine was draining my creativity”: a day in the life of Tina Touli
Promise Mascot Agency;
How Ikumi Nakamura's 'art bible' helped create Promise Mascot Agency's grotesque mascots, and why collaboration in indie game development is vital
Stanley 'Artgerm' Lau discuses AI; a digital illustration showcases a stylised female figure, reminiscent of a comic book superhero, likely Supergirl, with vibrant colours and a dynamic pose
"In the future, there will be fewer artists like me – real artists" says Stanley 'Artgerm' Lau as he reflects on the dangerous impact of AI on art
Pittura, a short film made at ArtFX
"We wanted to talk about AI and its relationship to art" – how we made 2025’s VES Student Award-winning animation Pittura
Stanley 'Artgerm' Lau; a vibrant, dynamic illustration showcases Spider-Gwen in a dynamic action pose amidst a cityscape, radiating a sense of energy and playful confidence
"Art is not easy. You have to suffer in joy" – Stanley 'Artgerm' Lau reflects on what it takes to succeed in comic art