How to understand creative job levels

You’ve probably seen job ads that say ‘midweight designer’ or ‘junior creative’ – but what do those actually mean? Titles can be confusing, especially when you're starting out. One company’s ‘senior’ might be another’s ‘midweight’, and some labels sound more advanced than they are (looking at you, ’creative executive’). Whether you’re a junior figuring out your next step or a midweight ready to move up, here’s how to understand job levels and use them to grow your career.

Why job levels matter

Knowing your level helps you understand what’s expected of you, how you can grow and what you should be paid. It’s also how fair progression happens: without clear levels, people can end up underpaid or stuck – unsure how to take the next step.

Creative Access’ Thrive 2025 report shows that unclear career progression can disproportionately affect people from underrepresented backgrounds. Understanding how roles and job levels work can help you plan your next steps and support fairer career development.

And this isn’t a small issue, according to Major Players’ Creative Industries Salary Census 2025, over half of professionals feel they’re not paid fairly for their skills and experience, and fewer than six in ten companies offer annual salary reviews – regular, scheduled check-ins to assess performance, role expectations and pay. Having all of these elements in place makes sure that pay rates are fair and appropriate for the level, as well as making pay discussions easier.

The basics of creative job levels

In most creative teams, your level reflects how much responsibility you take on and how independently you can work – not just how long you’ve been in the job.

When you first leave education or start your career, you might begin in a temporary entry-level position such as an internship, apprenticeship, placement or traineeship. These roles are designed to help you build real-world experience and learn workplace skills. After this, you’d usually move into a permanent entry-level or junior role, where training and guidance should continue.

As you grow in confidence and skill, you’ll typically move through these stages:

But these timelines aren’t set in stone! They’ll depend on your team, the kind of projects you work on and how much space there is to grow. What matters is the progress you make and the value you bring, not just how long you’ve been in the job.

What ‘seniority’ really refers to

Seniority is a way of describing where you sit in a team and how much say you have in shaping the work, rather than just helping to make it happen. It’s one part of understanding levels, alongside the responsibilities linked to each stage.

What each level usually means

Here’s how job levels often break down across creative roles. Titles can vary, but the level of responsibility and independence usually tells the real story.

As Laura Renaud, Senior Talent Partner at Major Players, puts it: “A junior is still learning the ropes, a midweight has found their creative footing and a senior leads the vision – guiding others and shaping where the work goes next.”

How it varies by role and workplace

This timeline also won’t look the same in every discipline. Across design, motion, illustration, photography or advertising, for example, growth can mean different things – it might be about refining your craft, taking on creative ownership or shaping ideas and people around you. What tends to stay consistent is the shift towards more independence and influence as you progress.

Where you work shapes your progression timeline too. In small studios and start-ups, roles often overlap and you’ll wear a few hats. Larger agencies tend to define responsibilities more clearly. If you’re not in a role that has been given a clear framework yet, don’t worry – we’ll cover how to figure it out yourself below.

How to find out what levels mean in your company

If you’re unsure where you sit amongst the levels, start by doing some light detective work:

When job titles don’t match reality

In the creative industry, job titles aren’t always standardised. Some roles might sound more senior than they are, while others downplay responsibility.

If you’ve ever found yourself doing work that feels above your title (e.g leading projects, mentoring others or managing clients), it could be a sign to raise the conversation about a change in job title or pay review.

Equally, be cautious of job ads that promise senior titles but list mostly junior-level tasks or low salaries. Use job descriptions to judge the level, not the label. If a “senior” role offers entry-level pay, for example, treat it as a junior role in disguise.

What if I’m freelance?

When you work for yourself, there’s no formal team ladder, so you’ll need to look at evidence rather than titles.

What progression looks like
Think about how your work has grown: are you being trusted with bigger briefs, earlier involvement or more responsibility?

How to benchmark yourself
Compare your experience against similar full-time roles, and use salary/rates benchmarks from places like Craft, Represent or Major Players to help set fair fees.

Knowing how to self-describe

So, when do you know when to change my bio from ‘Junior’ to ‘Midweight’? While there’s no secret ceremony or HR fairy that tells you it’s time, if you’re leading projects without constant direction, making creative calls, or clients are often coming to you for answers, you’ve probably levelled up.

What you do is a better signal than what you’re called. Let your work and responsibility speak for your level.

Bringing it all together

Once you understand how levels work, you can compare them with what you’re doing now and spot where you’d like to grow.

Progression isn’t always straightforward, and titles won’t capture everything, so focus on whether your work feels valued and fairly rewarded. If something feels out of sync, use it as a starting point for a conversation and to explore what would help you move forward.

Further reading and resources

Want to explore progression and pay transparency in more depth? Here are some of the best tools and reports by discipline – plus Creative Lives in Progress guides to help you take the next step.

Design

Advertising & Broader Creative Industry

Publishing & Journalism

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