Graphic Design Career

If you are a visual person and like to solve problems, a career in graphic design might be the one for you. As a graphic designer, your job is to create visual solutions for communications problems. It is a creative field with many practical applications.

Graphic design is everywhere around us: on billboards and television screens, in pamphlets, book covers, websites and magazines. If you are looking at this page you are looking at the work of a graphic designer! A good designer uses his or her artistic sense and creative abilities to combine text and pictures in a way that is visually compelling.

Magazines, product packaging, corporate communications, movie posters, Web and interface design, billboards—all are compos ed of images and words that work together as a form of visual communication. Whether it is to attract attention, inform, persuade or inspire, the graphic design industry specializes in creative problem solving. Graphic designers promote brands, markets ideas, and influence consumer behavior. Some of today ‘s most dynamic fields — advertising, publishing, interactive — are based on this fundamental concept of graphic design.

To be a successful graphic designer you will need to master a number of areas. A fundamental concept of graphic design is a sense of forms and the visual organization that dictates how they are put together to create meaning. Another fundamental concept is to understand how human beings intuitively respond to form, color and texture. A designer can evoke moods and emotional responses through their choice of colors, structure, and other elements. Typography, or the art and science of arranging type and type design, has a subtle but powerful effect on visual communication and is one of the most effective tools for graphic designers.

Model making, diagramming and drawing are all essential tools for designers to be able to develop and share their ideas. It is also important to understand how to communicate with photography. Although today many of these tools are digital, it is today’s students also need understand the value of hand skills such as drawing and physical model making in bringing your visual ideas to life in the “real world.”

Graphic design is a field where the technology is rapidly evolving. Today’s digital tools are phenomenally powerful and complex. A good graphic designer will need to master the most common design programs, but also develop good learning skills to continue to learn throughout their careers as technology continues to develop and change.

Verbal and written communication is also vital skills for the graphic designer. You need to be well organized and persuasive in order to communicate your ideas in the design world, and will also often be working in teams with other professionals. Most college design programs will make use of the “critique” process, where a group takes the time to reflect on a project, and offer constructive feedback and evaluate their own and other’s performances. This is an important learning opportunity for students to develop critical thinking and expressive skills that will be vital for their advancement in their fields.

A good college program in graphic design should address all these dimensions of a graphic designer’s skills. It is important to look at all the classes that a major offers and ask if they deliver learning in these important areas. On the academic side, you’ll want a program that will give you fundamentals of design elements, demonstrate the use of type, teaches all the appropriate software programs that employers will expect you to have mastered, color theory and perception, knowledge of printing and the delivery of electronic documents, the development of web-based projects, and more. You’ll want a background in the history and development of graphic design. A college program should also develop critical thinking and problem solving skills, the ability to present and defend your work, and the opportunity to practice working in groups. Most importantly, you’ll want the opportunity to develop an in-depth and exciting portfolio of work in a variety of media and forms that you will be able to take with you into the working world that will illustrate to prospective employers your talent, work ethic, visual abilities and passion for your field.

Graphic design is a competitive field, something you should keep in mind when looking at college programs. You might want to ask about the employment market for graphic designers in the area where the school is located and whether the college has strong ties to important area employers. The opportunity to do a professional internship while in school is a terrific advantage for college students, so you should inquire about the internship programs the college offers. A strong portfolio will be your greatest asset upon graduation, so if you can, attend a portfolio show to see the work that students are producing.

Upon graduation from a college program in graphic design, you should be prepared to seek employment in an entry-level position such as production designer, graphic designer, and design production coordinator. You’ll embark on a creative career where every day you’ll be visualizing ideas and bringing them to vibrant life on the page or screen.

Editorial provided by Carise Mitch, Communications Director at The Art Institute of Philadelphia.