Let's consider the following hypothetical – but plausible – scenario: You're at the table for your annual review with your art director and HR manager. Last year, you switched the entire magazine layout to a digital-first approach, are now responsible for responsive typography for three web spin-offs, and have also taught yourself motion design in After Effects to provide the publisher's social media channels with high-end reels.
In short: You are a versatile, highly profitable Swiss Army knife for your employer.
Then the HR department pulls the current collective agreement out of the drawer.
The pay scale and the job descriptions briefly make you question the continuity of space and time. It mentions "reproduction preparation," "photomontage at the light table," and "sheet assembly." Your complex, interdisciplinary work, which drives a large portion of the company's digital revenue, is crammed into pay grade 4 – shouldered with the label of "execution according to precise instructions . "
Welcome to the illusion of collective bargaining agreements for creative professionals. Everyone currently paid according to a collective agreement in publishing houses, bookstores, or large agencies is working in the future but is classified according to outdated rules. A practical salary calculator is very useful and helpful, but in some cases insufficient; it provides average values and overlooks the actual (individual) collective bargaining situation.
If you're unsure how to translate your modern skills into the antiquated language of collective bargaining agreements, you're losing money every month. The time is ripe to decipher the code
The translation problem: Why your skillset is not recognized
The problem lies in the nature of things: a collective bargaining agreement, whether in the printing and media industry or in the book trade, is a complicated legal construct. Before unions (like ver.di) and employers' associations recognize new job profiles , the software landscape in agencies has already changed three times. What is the result? HR departments evaluate digital designers according to criteria dating back to a time when QuarkXPress was considered the gold standard.
This creates a huge imbalance. The findings from the current OMR HR panels paint a clear picture: Many permanently employed creative professionals in companies bound by collective bargaining agreements believe they are incorrectly classified. The reason usually lies in a lack of knowledge about the legal principle of "predominant activity" .
Human resources departments often argue like this: "Yes, you do a little web design and animation now and then, but your main task is typesetting. So you'll remain in the lower group."
What they don't tell you: As soon as your demanding, complex tasks (such as independent concept development, AR filter design or AI prompt engineering) account for more than 50 percent of your working time, must be classified according to this higher-value activity.
The challenge is this: You have to prove it. And you have to communicate in their language.
The Skillset Translation Matrix: How to find the right classification for you
Our skillset translation matrix helps you fit your modern skills into outdated frameworks, giving you a stronger position in upcoming negotiations. Photo by Getty Images @gettyimages, via Unsplash
The assessment is based on abstract parameters: How high is the degree of independence? Do you need specialized knowledge? Are you responsible for legal or budgetary aspects?
It's a challenge to fit your modern skills into this outdated framework. The translation formula that will give you the upper hand in the upcoming negotiation is this:
A translation formula that will strengthen your position in the next negotiation:
Your modern skillset in everyday life
The archaic concept of tariff (example)
Your argument for a higher pay grade (TG)
Responsive Typography & UX/UI Design: You develop flexible design systems for web, app and print.
"Independent typographic design based on manuscript / rough draft"
Complexity & Concept: You don't work according to a rigid framework (often TG 3/4), but develop the system yourself for unpredictable end devices. This fulfills the characteristic of a "particularly difficult design task" (often TG 5/6).
Motion Design & Video Editing: You animate graphics in After Effects and edit footage for social media.
"Production of templates for reproduction purposes"
Expanded scope of responsibilities: HR often sees this as simply "executing" tasks and overlooks the added professional value. Your leverage: The "combination of several specialist areas" (design + video + audio engineering) goes beyond the standard job description and justifies a higher pay grade.
Cross-media image editing (incl. AI & rights): Clarifying licenses for worldwide online use, maintaining metadata, writing midjourney prompts.
"Selection and editing of image templates"
Personal responsibility & liability risk: Digital Rights Management requires legal expertise; AI generation demands conceptual depth. This is no longer "support work," but rather an "activity with increased responsibility."
Classification as a book trade designer (e-commerce focus): You not only design bookmarks, but also optimize the visual flow of the online shop.
"Design of advertising materials according to specifications"
Economic impact: Conversion rate optimization through visuals is strategic work. You're not just designing, you're influencing user behavior. This falls under "activities requiring advanced expertise".
Case studies: Successful implementation of a higher pay grade
Theory is important, but practice is what makes the money. Let's look at how this translation works in practice. The following case is derived from real industry observations over the past two years.
Case study: Photo editor (print vs. crossmedia)
Lisa had been working for five years at a medium-sized magazine publisher, where she was classified in pay grade 4. Her official job: loading images from databases and brightening them for printing. The reality in 2024: she was responsible for the visual design of the Instagram feed, negotiated buyouts for international web licenses with freelance photographers, and trained trainees in using image AI to create layout sketches.
When Lisa asked for a raise, HR rejected it, citing "no budget." Lisa adjusted her tactics. She stopped talking about salary and instead demanded a review of her job classification. She documented that 60% of her time was spent on licensing negotiations (which posed an increased financial risk for the publisher in case of errors) and strategic social media curation (independent concept development). The works council intervened. The result: a retroactive reclassification to pay grade 6. The salary increase: almost €500 gross per month.
Expert Takeaway
A key phrase that organizational development experts repeatedly preach at the latest HR and recruiting conferences, and which you should frame, is:
HR doesn't evaluate which software you use, but rather which business pain you solve
We distilled the content and factual basis for this approach from experts and sources whose keynotes and textbooks teach precisely this principle:
Chris Do (founder of "The Futur"): The internationally renowned business coach for creatives tirelessly preaches in his lectures and YouTube sessions the shift from "tool thinking" to "business impact." His central approach: Clients (or employers) don't pay for mastering software like After Effects or Figma, but for solving business problems (e.g., increasing revenue, reducing in-house costs).
Blair Enns (author of "The Win Without Pitching Manifesto"): A standard work for creatives that addresses precisely this pain point. Enns argues that creative professionals should not define their value by technical execution, but rather by strategic value and economic problem-solving.
Martin Wehrle (salary and career coach): In German-speaking countries, Wehrle ("Secret Tricks for a Higher Salary") is one of the best-known proponents of the theory that salary negotiations should never be based on sweat, effort, or mere job enhancements, but always on the concrete "benefit" or the "solution of pain points" for the company.
Ljubow Chaikevitch (founder of “Frau Verhandelt”): In her negotiation trainings (and keynotes at various New Work festivals), she repeatedly emphasizes that the focus must be shifted away from the mere task list towards measurable added value (“What do I save or earn for the company?”) in order to convince HR departments.
If your skills in After Effects or Figma mean that the publisher doesn't need to use external agencies, you suddenly start making business-like arguments. That's a strong argument for a higher pay grade.
Cheat sheet for employee reviews
Leave behind phrases like "Everything costs more" or "I work so hard ." Being classified according to the media collective bargaining agreement during salary negotiations isn't begging for handouts, but a legally formal process. To receive more money, you must demonstrate that your job profile has structurally changed.
Here is your schedule:
Phase 1: The logbook (reversal of the burden of proof)
Three months before the meeting, you should start tracking your activities. Record every task that isn't in your original contract or that requires a high degree of autonomy. Include the time spent on each task in hours and as a percentage. Keep the 50 percent rule (the "predominant activity") in mind.
It's about data, not feelings.
Phase 2: Representing the gap
Take a screenshot of your current contract and the job description for your pay grade. Highlight everything you currently do and everything that is *not* listed there.
Stage 3: The change of perspective during the conversation
You're not asking for a raise. You're informing your superiors that you've outgrown your current responsibilities. The framing suggests: "I love my new, more demanding tasks and want to expand them. It's necessary that we adjust my salary grade to reflect reality, to properly document everything."
Template & Checklist: Your working material for the HR department
Once you've got your manager on board (or at least informed them), the next step is to formally request a salary negotiation. HR will need something in writing. If your company has a works council, be sure to copy them on the email beforehand. salary scales and can immediately refute any excuses HR might make.
For your informal application to the HR department, use this tried and tested template:
For your informal application to the HR department for a higher pay grade in media professions, use this tried and tested template:
Subject: Application for review and adjustment of my salary classification
Dear [Name of HR contact person],
As our publications have become increasingly digitized, my responsibilities have fundamentally changed in the last [number] months. My main tasks (over 50% of my working time) now include:
The independent design of digital-first layouts
The development and maintenance of responsive web components
Motion design for our digital distribution channels (including budget/resource planning for these projects)
These tasks require a high degree of independent conceptual work as well as advanced specialist knowledge. They significantly exceed the job description for my current pay grade (pay group [your current group]).
The described activities correspond to the qualitative requirements of the [Your Target Group] pay grade, as they involve the independent implementation of complex, cross-media design services. A detailed activity log for the last three months is enclosed with this letter.
I therefore request a timely review and corresponding adjustment of my salary classification (including a corresponding salary adjustment) retroactively to [date from which you demonstrably perform the new tasks permanently].
I am always available for questions and a clarifying discussion.
Best regards,
[Your name]
Be your own lawyer
While collective bargaining agreements offer excellent protection against arbitrary treatment and provide a stable foundation, they are also cumbersome dinosaurs in an industry that reinvents itself at the pace of software updates.
No one from HR is going to approach you and say, "Hey, you're doing some seriously amazing UX design work, let's adjust your salary." That's part of the job. Be your own advocate.
Document your work. Familiarize yourself with the cumbersome terminology of your collective bargaining agreement. Translate your modern skills into the language of decision-makers and back everything up with your economic impact. The next time you're sitting nervously in your annual review, you'll be armed not just with vague hopes, but with concrete facts.
Have you ever successfully achieved a higher pay grade, or are you still in an old pay scale? Share your experiences with us – the illusion of a fixed pay scale will only lose its power when we, as an industry, talk openly about salaries.
Owner and Managing Director of Kunstplaza . Publicist, editor, and passionate blogger in the fields of art, design, and creativity since 2011. Graduated with a degree in web design from university (2008). Further developed creative techniques through courses in freehand drawing, expressive painting, and theatre/acting. Profound knowledge of the art market gained through years of journalistic research and numerous collaborations with key players and institutions in the arts and culture sector.
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