From Gabriele’s Salary Indicator 2026
Mid-weight designer
Each plant grows to its ‘better’ permanent salary. Indicative, mostly London. Tap a stage for the full range, or compare all 123 roles.
Eradicating miserable Mondays since 1988. We match designers, client services people and strategists with the UK’s best design and brand agencies, freelance and permanent.
I’m hiring I’m looking for a role
1988
the year Gabriele Skelton started the business
5.0
on Google, from 10 reviews
123
roles priced in the Salary Indicator 2026
56
design and brand agencies on the client wall
And 32 more, including Together Design, Magpie Studio, WHAM, Wiedemann Lampe, Purple, me&dave, Marks, LBA, Deep, Design Studio, Contagious, Chic, Brandon, Big Fish, WMH&I, This Way Up, Thirst Craft, theTeam, The Clearing, Studio Minerva, Stormbrands, Socrates, Blacksheep, Sunhouse, Multiadaptor, pb creative, Popp, Revolt, SEA, Straight Forward, Turquoise and Hue & Cry.
Two sides, one match
We work closely with both sides and spend time getting to know each, so the fit is right for everyone.
For agencies
A freelancer who can hit the ground running, or a permanent hire who completes an already talented team. We’re deeply connected to great talent.
For creative people
We’re less about making a quick buck and more about finding the career path that’s right for you. Then we stick around.
Send us your CV Follow new roles on LinkedIn (opens in a new tab)
What we recruit
Specialist desks for every side of a design, branding or integrated agency, from first job to the top of the tree.
For studios that need brilliant hands and sharp eyes.
For the people who keep clients happy and studios running.
For the thinkers and the ones who win the work.
Salary Indicator 2026
All 123 figures from Gabriele’s 2026 guide: good, better and best, permanent and freelance, for every level. Benchmark an offer, or a budget.
Design and creative services
Client services and admin
Strategy, new business and marketing
| Role | Good | Better | Best | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Graduate designer | £22k to £24k | £25k to £28k | £29k+ | |
| Junior designer | £24k to £26k | £27k to £30k | £31k+ | |
| Mid-weight designer | £30k to £33k | £34k to £37k | £38k+ | |
| Senior designer | £40k to £44k | £45k to £52k | £55k+ | |
| Design director, group head or team leader | £64k to £70k | £75k to £85k | £88k+ | |
| Creative director | £85k to £95k | £100k to £110k | £120k+ | |
| Executive creative director | £110k to £130k | £140k to £160k | £180k+ |
Annual salaries. Figures are indicative, based on live roles, market insight and day-to-day recruitment, and vary with company size, sector, location, experience, portfolio and negotiation.
Brief us on a role Download the full guide (PDF) (opens in a new tab)
Flexible and hybrid working, extra holiday, healthcare, personal development and culture now weigh on decisions almost as much as the number.
Specialisms
From packaging to pixels, and annual reports to experiential, for every kind of client:
How we work
Clients and candidates often tell us we’re more thorough than other creative recruiters. We spend more time listening, then doing.
Your studio, your culture and the gap in the team. Or your ambitions, your portfolio and the move that makes sense.
A short list of people who suit the role and the room. Quality over quantity, every time.
Portfolio and interview prep for candidates. Straight feedback and market advice for clients.
Offers, negotiation and a check-in after the first weeks. Most of our work comes back round.
In their words
5.0 on Google from 10 reviews
I have worked with Karina for a number of years now and the longevity of the relationship is testament to the quality of the work that she and her team deliver.
She focuses on filtering quality rather than sending quantity, which ensures you benefit from her expertise and provides good value.
She was there during every step and prepped me for every interview. I had a job in under two weeks!
I have known Karina as a recruitment specialist for over 12 years. Quite simply she will always be my first port of call for any of my recruitment challenges.
Amazing, attentive, intelligent and friendly recruiters - what a joy to deal with!
Words from clients and candidates, as published on gabriele.co.uk and Google.
Our story
Our story began in 1988 as Gabriele Skelton. The name got shorter, the team stayed proudly boutique, and the not-so-little black book kept growing.
Managing director and consultant
Karina joined the board in 1999 and has steered Gabriele since she bought the business in 2000. It’s hard to find someone in the design industry she doesn’t know. Off duty, she’s ‘peddling the positivity’ around London on her bicycle.
Consultant: client services, strategy and marketing
Nadina handles the client services desk, with a recruitment background in PR, comms and office support. She’s worked in Greece, the Czech Republic, Spain and London, and now works remotely from her home town in Romania.
Refer a friend
Introduce them. If we place them in a permanent job, you get £250 in vouchers for any store you like, for every friend we place. Help us eradicate miserable Mondays, one candidate at a time.
Yes. Gabriele places freelancers who can hit the ground running on a project, and permanent people who fit the culture, across all three desks.
Graduates and juniors through to creative directors, client services directors, heads of strategy and managing directors.
Most clients are design, branding and integrated agencies in London, but Gabriele works with agencies around the UK too, and has a global reach.
If the agency you work for decides the role sits inside IR35, Gabriele puts you on its payroll and deducts PAYE and National Insurance at source. Outside IR35, you invoice from your own limited company.
Every figure is indicative, based on live roles, market insight and day-to-day recruitment. Pay moves with company size, sector, location, experience, portfolio strength and negotiation, so use it to start a conversation.
Send your CV and, if you have one, your portfolio, with a note about what you want next. A consultant on the right desk will be in touch.
Gabriele Skelton, who started the business in 1988. Karina worked with her in the early days, joined the board in 1999 and has run Gabriele since 2000. A 2017 rebrand shortened the name, and there isn’t currently anyone called Gabriele on the team.
Get in touch
Pick your side and tell us the basics. A consultant on the right desk picks it up.
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