What's a fair wage?
To build a thriving team, business owners need solid wage benchmarks and reward strategies. That's where we can help.
This ebook is full of relevant and practical advice based on our experience and research, not spreadsheets.
Moving beyond guesswork
It’s difficult to move the wage discussion from subjective ‘but I work hard‘ to objective ‘here’s an industry-wide benchmark‘ without evidence. And that lack of independent evidence has meant salary packages are often based on anecdotal information at best, rumours at worst. Decisions are based on what we think rather than what we know.
We know because we’ve been there. We know what it’s like to make arbitrary wage decisions based on hear-say and market demand.
So we fixed it. We gathered existing research and combined it with our experience mentoring Australian businesses. The result is this ebook. It contains accurate salary ranges, validated benchmarks, job descriptions and suggested alternatives to dollar-based rewards.
We’re sharing what we know about fair wages in creative businesses. It’s written from ‘inside’ the creative industry, by design practitioners, for creative leaders. It’s about sharing our research and experience, not generic HR advice.
What's included?
What’s a fair wage includes topics like:
✅ benchmark wages for 28 creative positions
✅ starting wages vs top-of-the-range wages
✅ the skills needed to move up the pay scale
✅ industry freelance hourly rates
✅ cut and paste job descriptions
✅ alternative ways to reward employees
✅ when and how to give wage increases
✅ ‘wages compared to revenue’ ratios
✅ strategies to reward by investment.
What makes wages 'fair'?
There is often confusion around what constitutes fair compensation in the creative industry, when employees deserve raises, and how to reward talent when cash flow is tight. We understand that. Managing expectations around money can be emotionally charged.
Fair wages aren’t just about the dollar amount. They’re about recognising experience, hard skills, and human skills. Sometimes the best reward isn’t money at all – it’s time, investment in learning, or feeling genuinely valued.
This ebook helps you move from subjective, arbitrary decisions to industry benchmarks and structured approaches that work for both employers and employees
This ebook is practical, relevant and current
An ebook written by designers for designers to help them build confidence and knowledge about employing creatives.
Practical
This is not an ebook using HR-speak, complex formulas or jargon. It is written in plain english, using real $AUS wage ranges, job descriptions and reward strategies from the creative industry.
Relevant
We know what it’s like to try to find wage guidance that speaks and understands ‘creative businesses‘. Generic salary surveys don’t capture our industry reality. We help fill that gap with creative-specific benchmarks.
Current
What’s a fair wage is a practical compensation guide containing insights from our experience mentoring Australian creative businesses, knowledge from leading recruitment agencies and current market rates.
Who is this ebook for?
What’s a fair wage is perfect for:
✅ creative business owners setting their first wage structure
✅ studio managers preparing job descriptions
✅ designers wanting to understand industry benchmarks
✅ business owners struggling with when to give raises
✅ studios planning team growth
✅ small studios on a growth projection
✅ freelancers wanting to understand market rates
✅ employees wanting to benchmark their wages
✅ anyone wanting a practical, relevant wage reference tool.