Graphic Designer Career Description

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When it comes to jobs and career paths, graphic design career options are numerous. You could go into advertising and create various ads and promotional pieces for large companies. You can work as a photographer, utilizing your skills in digital photography and image manipulation. Many people also choose to build their graphic designer careers in TV and cartoon animation or working in the film industry. Becoming a graphic designer requires special skills and creativity.

Did you know that live action films often require graphic designers?

You can also go into the more traditional graphic design work and create business cards, brochures, packaging, and other visual pieces for businesses. As you can see, careers with graphic design offer limitless potential.

Creative needs in publishing, journalism, film, business, government and more, graphic designers are in high demand. No matter what field you choose, knowing your way around computers and graphic design software is a must these days, so be ready to be in front of a computer for a good portion of your work day.

With the internet becoming more and more important to businesses, many graphic designers – especially those working for companies – are often asked to create graphics for their company’s website. It’s very helpful for future graphic designers to have an idea of how graphics on the web work; and learning website design isn’t a bad idea, either. In fact, if you’re interested in doing website design as a career, a graphic design degree is one option you can pursue.

While graphic designers spend a lot of time in front of their computers, they also spend time attending meetings with clients. Before you can create the graphics, you’ll first have to meet with your employer to work out what kind of graphics they want. In some cases, this may be your boss or fellow co-workers. In others, it may be a client who has solicited the services of your company. In any case, you’ll need to have good communication and people skills. One of the biggest challenges you’ll encounter in your career as a graphic designer is figuring out what your client really wants and then creating it for them.

There are a few more graphic design career options. As you advance in the field of graphic design, you may find yourself moving more into a managerial position. Senior graphic designers often supervise the junior designers and only take on graphic work for important clients or for large projects. In ten years or more, those with great careers in graphic design might find themselves reviewing others’ work and making decisions on final design rather than doing the actual designing themselves.

Another career option for graphic designers is to freelance. Instead of working a regular job, freelancers take on work on a contract basis. Some pick up work from companies who don’t have enough graphic designers on staff to handle the load. Others start their own graphic design businesses and take on work from clients they solicit. In fact, almost a fourth of all graphic designers are self-employed. The fact that you can be your own boss is certainly a great career selling point for graphic designers!

Graphic design is a booming industry and profession in recent times. Professionals love the creativity involved in the work of a graphic designer as well as the entrepreneurial opportunities in the field. It also helps that there is an ever present need for graphic and web designers now that almost everyone in the country has a website or other web presence.

However, a career in graphic design is not one to be taken lightly. If you want to seriously pursue the possibilities in this field, it’s important to build on your skills and work to become the most capable graphic designer you can be. Reputation and quality of service are essential to your career success.

Graphic Designer Job Description

Graphic designers use their abilities to create visual images that solve a problem or communicate a message. These days, graphic designers use computer software to create electronic versions of their designs to be used in online media and print. Graphic designers are employed in a wide range of different industries for a variety of purposes. The practical skill of the graphic designer is their ability to use design software to produce images. But the most important skill of a graphic designer is their ability to create unique, effective designs that meet the needs of the project.

Benefits of Becoming a Graphic Designer

The benefits you enjoy as a graphic designer are many, which is why so many established and rising professionals pursue it as a career. Most graphic designers love the creative aspect of their job. Many graphic designers are artists and creators in addition to professionals, and graphic design is an opportunity to apply their passion to their career.

Also, there are numerous employment options in graphic design. You have the freedom to choose which area of graphic design you’d like to pursue as there are many different ways for graphic designers to apply their talents.

Graphic design also affords you a great deal of independence. While some graphic designers secure full time jobs with advertising firms and other employers, many graphic designers as many as 25%–are self employed. As a freelance graphic designer, you can work remotely from almost anywhere and work with clients all over the world. You aren’t necessarily limited to one geographic location.

You can also pursue graphic design as a lucrative side job for extra income. Many graphic designers have full time jobs in other fields, but work as graphic designers in their spare time. Graphic design is a valuable skill that can be applied in many ways.

Moving up in a Graphic Design Career

Entry level positions in graphic design employment offer lower salaries and less responsibility. However, your early graphic design jobs are great opportunities to benefit from on-the-job training and hone your skills. Real work experience is where you really improve to become a more marketable professional.

Advancement in your graphic design career can take many forms. If you work for a graphic design firm, good performance and job promotions could lead to a position as creative director or other design supervisor. Moving up could also mean a successful career as a freelance graphic designer. With a substantial portfolio and years of experience, you could have the expertise to launch your own design firm or freelance design career.

Graphic Designer Job Duties

Depending on the nature of the work, graphic designers typically interface with clients to determine their needs for the project. If designing a website, you’ll select colors, images, textures and shapes to create the layout and look of the website. Using computer software, you will design a template for the website based on your designs.

However, website design is just one industry in which graphic designers can work. Others include:

  • Video game design
  • Advertising
  • Branding
  • Journalism
  • Textiles
  • And many more

Many graphic designers work in standard office environments on a typical, five-day work schedule. Freelance graphic designers will have the opportunity to work whenever and wherever they want.

Getting Started as a Graphic Designer

Salaries in graphic design vary greatly as does job availability. Competition is steep in this industry. However, you can jumpstart your graphic design career by getting a good education as part of your foundation.

A Bachelor’s degree in graphic design is an important first step to launching your graphic designer career. Most employers will require a four-year degree to consider you for an entry level position. While many two-year graphic design programs are out there, professionals with this level of training are likely to find jobs as assistants to graphic designers rather than starting out as graphic designers themselves.

A Bachelor’s degree also helps you develop other skills that are important to a successful career such as creativity, conceptualization and communication. It’s important to communicate with team members and clients in order to deliver a quality product. Overall, well-rounded, skilled, and talented graphic designers have the most options and you can build these traits through training and diligence.

A Day in the Life of a Graphic Designer

If you’re thinking about beginning a graphic designer career you will need to know how to solve problems and put the solutions in print. The perfect example would be a magazine that is sold around the country. The management has an idea of how they would like the magazine laid out. It is up to the graphic designer to be able to construct the layout and the design. You will need some sort of imagination when you go into this field because, you want to be able to vision whatever you are designing before you actually put it in motion.

You will have clients that you are working with and meeting with throughout the project. You have to be able to hear what they are asking for then you will use all your resources in order to give them the best design or layout. In the graphic designer career you will learn that there is a certain audience target that the client is trying to pull in to their business in order to purchase their products. The audience target is what you will have to do some research on in order to see what they are interested in so you can design something that will grab their attention and pull them to the company.

Once you have decided on what the best approach is for the client you will be ready to put your skills to use. As a graphic designer, you will sketch your visions on paper so you do not forget anything. Once you have a sketch going and are feeling good about it you know get to bring it to life. This is done with a computer that has the proper software installed. You will now take the sketch and draw it on the computer screen where you will add color, sounds and any other visual elements. Once everything is put together on the computer then you will have to present it to your client. The client will give their approval for proceeding forward or could even ask you to add a little more to the product. There might be times in your career that you will help the press operators decide on the ink and the paper that should be used in order to capture the best picture in print.

When you are working for a company there is no end to where they might need you to apply your skills. It could be to a website, a magazine, banners on the Internet, brochures, T-shirts, etc. Sometimes these skills could even be used for making video games come to life on the screen.

If you have always wanted to make your visions come to life and are able to come up with solutions to problems, then a graphic designer career may be for you. Sometimes you will work alone while other times you will work with a team and be in charge of people under you. This career choice is always in demand.