What Does Graphic Designer Do?
Graphic designers create effective visual designs for letterheads, posters, billboards, vehicles, presentations, television, movies and other marketing materials. The Bureau of Labor Statistics says the graphic design field is expected have employment growth of 10 percent from 2006 through 2016. The BLS says in May 2006, graphic designers in general earned an average of $39,900 per year, with very experienced designers or managers making $98,600 to $113,000 yearly. Pay usually depends upon the level of position and experience of the designer. While duties may vary, the basic job skills of all graphic designers remain the same.
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Meet with Clients
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Before beginning to design at the computer, a graphic designer must meet with the client or advertising representative to discuss the project. The designer must get a general idea of what the client wants for a basic look, feel, specific colors, artwork and size. This gives the designer a feel for the client's taste and gives him a starting point for creating the piece. The designer takes the client's information and adds her own creative touch to the overall design idea. The designer also meets with the client after a more refined product has been created so the client can point out any concerns about the design and requests any changes before the public sees the final piece.
Come Up with Solutions
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Before starting on a final piece, many graphic designers choose to go through a quick brainstorming session. They draw out a few different small thumbnail sketches in pencil or on the computer of some layout ideas. From among the rough sketches, the designer chooses one (or a couple) ideas to build upon for the final piece. The graphic designer must find an effective solution in getting the client's message or brand identity across to the public in a visually pleasing, memorable way. Most of what a graphic designer does is about effectively marketing the client's product, event or business to the public.
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Computer Layout and Design
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After coming up with a rough plan of action, the graphic designer uses his expertise in all aspects of layout and design to produce a computer-generated, creative final product. Most graphic designers have learned these techniques after earning a bachelor of arts degree at a four-year college or university specializing in various areas of graphic design. A publication graphic designer may construct graphs or charts to accompany articles. The designer uses various concepts of effective use of color, page layout, illustration and typography to build professional designs using such popular computer design programs as Adobe's Photoshop, InDesign and Illustrator. A good grasp of design rules, creativity and knowledge of what these design programs can do to create an interesting piece all help a graphic designer complete computer design work with success.
Work as Part of a Team
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Many graphic designers work as part of a design team on a project. In advertising agencies, designers work closely with copywriters and art directors to bounce different ideas off of each other to make a piece the best it can be. Television, movie and game graphic designers work with entire teams consisting of creative minds building a comprehensive, effective end product together. These teams may consist of production artists, computer programmers, set designers, directors, computer animators and others. Commercial graphic designers work together with printers to ensure the size, colors, paper type and weight are correct.
Photo Manipulation
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Manipulating photographs is a big part of a graphic designer's job. Some must sharpen photos and perform color-correction techniques to ensure photos print clearly and vividly. Others must find creative ways to manipulate photos (cutting out backgrounds, adding sepia tones, blurring edges) for added visual effect and interest.
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