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Advertising designer

Works out how to tell people about a product or event with a picture and a few words, so they notice it and remember it.

What a day looks like

An advertising designer's day starts with a task: for example, a new café needs a poster. They talk with the client about who the poster is for, what the main message is and where people will see it. Then they make several sketches, trying different colours, fonts and images. The client looks at them and asks to change one thing and add another, and the designer makes the changes. Sometimes they have to drop an idea they really liked, because it doesn't fit. By evening the layout is ready, and it goes to print or gets posted online. Later the designer sees their work on the street and knows people need it.

Try it yourself this week

  • 40 minutes

    Make a poster for a school event

    1. Choose an event: a real school event or a made-up one, for example a board game night.
    2. Write the key facts on a sheet of paper: what, when and where. Nothing else goes on the poster.
    3. Draw the poster by hand or in any free editor that's already on your phone and doesn't need registration. Pick two or three colours and one big image.
    4. Show the poster to your parents or a friend and ask: what did they understand at first glance? Write down the answer.

    What you'll learn about yourself: Whether you enjoy coming up with an image and choosing colours, or get more out of thinking through exactly what to tell people.

  • 40 minutes

    Sketch three screens of an app for a school problem

    1. Come up with a small app, for example for a timetable or for sharing class notes.
    2. Draw three screens as phone frames: the main screen, one more section and the final screen.
    3. Use arrows to show how a person moves from one screen to another.
    4. Ask a friend to go through your drawings with their finger and watch where they get confused. Write down those places.

    What you'll learn about yourself: What suits you more: coming up with how an app looks, or thinking through how people will use it.

  • 40 minutes

    Edit a 30-second video from your own photos and clips

    1. Choose 8-10 photos or short videos on one theme on your phone.
    2. Open the built-in editor in your phone's gallery, which doesn't need registration.
    3. Put the shots in a clear order: beginning, middle, end. Add music or text if you know how.
    4. Watch the video and cut anything that drags on too long. Show it to one person and ask what stuck in their mind.

    What you'll learn about yourself: Whether you feel the rhythm of images and enjoy choosing what to keep and what to cut.

What you can do next

  1. Next 3 months

    • Draw a poster for a school event

      Do the poster task: pick an event, write down the main message and make a layout by hand or in a free editor.

    • Collect posters you like

      Take photos of five examples on the street and in shops, and write down what exactly caught your eye.

    • Try a free editor with no sign-up

      Find a simple editor that doesn't ask for an account, and remake one poster you liked in your own way.

  2. In six months

    • Put 3 pieces of work in a folder

      Make three different pieces, for example a poster, a cover and a greeting card, and save them together with a short note on the idea.

    • Make something for a real person

      Offer to design an invitation or poster for free for a school club or a family celebration.

    • Study fonts and colours

      Write down three colour combinations and two fonts that look good together, and explain why.

  3. In a year

    • Talk to someone who does this job

      Through people you know, and together with your parents, find a designer and ask them to show you how they work and give you advice on a portfolio.

    • Build a portfolio of five pieces

      Choose your best work and write two lines for each piece: who it was for, what the task was and what you came up with.

What it pays

Pay varies by region, experience and employer. The figures below are approximate ranges from public sources.

Notes on sources are in Russian, as in the original source.

In Kazakhstan

  • All levelsstatistics

    275,906 ₸ per month

    data: 2025 · checked: September 2026

    Данные по всем дизайнерам и графическим художникам.

    Source: almaty.hh.kz (opens in a new tab)

Where to study

Notes on sources are in Russian, as in the original source.

Universities

You apply after grade 11, based on your UNT results.

The UNT, if you apply to university

Required subjects: History of Kazakhstan, Reading Literacy, Mathematical Literacy. Profile subjects for this career: Mathematics + Geography.

Programme group: B047 Маркетинг и реклама. Checked: September 2026.

Source: National Testing Centre list (opens in a new tab)
How to get into college

College gets you a profession faster than university. You can apply after grade 9 or after grade 11.

  • Colleges accept students both after grade 9 and after grade 11. After grade 9 you study longer — about 3 years 10 months; after grade 11, about 2 years 10 months. The exact length depends on the college and the specialty.
    Source: kchk.edu.kz (opens in a new tab)
  • About 80% of students admitted to colleges in the 2024/25 school year study on a state order, which means in state-funded places (in 2023/24 it was about 70%). But each college and each specialty has its own number of state-funded places.
    Source: inbusiness.kz (opens in a new tab)
  • There are also paid colleges. For example, training as a nurse at ADILMED costs 450,000 ₸ per year. Check the price and conditions on the college's website.
    Source: adilmed.kz (opens in a new tab)
UNT: which subjects to take for university

The UNT (Unified National Testing) is Kazakhstan's national university entrance test. You need it to get into university after grade 11.

  • The UNT 2026 has three compulsory subjects: History of Kazakhstan, Reading Literacy and Mathematical Literacy. On top of these, you take two profile subjects, chosen to match your specialty.
    Source: testcenter.kz (opens in a new tab)
  • In total, the test has 120 questions (maximum 140 points) and you get 4 hours. The format is the same as in 2025.
    Source: testcenter.kz (opens in a new tab)
  • Profile subjects depend on the group of specialties. For example: information technology — Mathematics and Computer Science; nursing and veterinary medicine — Biology and Chemistry; electrical engineering — Mathematics and Physics; law — World History and Fundamentals of Law. The full list is published by the National Testing Center.
    Source: testcenter.kz (opens in a new tab)
  • For creative specialties (for example, media and design), you take History of Kazakhstan and Reading Literacy through the UNT, and two creative exams at the university itself.
    Source: testcenter.kz (opens in a new tab)
  • Some universities have their own admission rules. Nazarbayev University, for example, requires a UNT score of at least 85, a GPA of 4.0 and English at IELTS 6.0 level.
    Source: nu.edu.kz (opens in a new tab)

Courses and opportunities

Courses

Free: 1. Paid ones are listed for reference — check the price and terms on their website.

Opportunities near this field

Can you work before you turn 18?

Under Kazakhstan's Labour Code, teenagers can work, but with limits.

History of the career

No verified information is available in this section yet.

Well-known people in this field

No verified information is available in this section yet.

Is this right for you?

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