What Does it Take to Become a Graphic Designer?

The aspiring graphic designer must have a mix of talent and technical skills to be successful. The graphic designer needs a strong sense of how to arrange elements of typography, color, illustrative and photographic elements in juxtaposition with each other in a way that is eye pleasing while effectively communicating ideas. Graphic designers must be knowledgeable with specialized computer software programs. Although it is not required, many designers complete college degrees in graphic design.

Design Specialties

It is important to determine which aspect of graphic design appeals to you as a potential career. Some of the main design specialties are website design, web animation, corporate design with a focus on printed items, book design, type design, environmental design, product design, and marketing or advertising design. The Graphic Artists Guild publishes a guidebook called Pricing & Ethical Guidelines that offers comprehensive descriptions of each of these specialties.

Education Opportunities

Four-year bachelors degrees are available in graphic design from private colleges and universities, state colleges and universities and private colleges specializing in the visual arts. Many of these institutions also offer graduate degrees in graphic design. Some of the leading programs are offered by private art schools such as Rhode Island School of Design, Pratt Institute and the California College of the Arts. These schools are very expensive, so it is important to consider programs at state colleges and universities. Low-cost programs are available with several online colleges, while other schools such as University of California at Berkeley offer continuing education courses in graphic design. Community colleges offer graphic design courses at a reasonable rate. One benefit of formal graphic design study is being a member of a community of aspiring designers, who may help each other in the course of their careers.

Software

The most direct path to becoming proficient with the tools of graphic design is to learn the appropriate software for a given design specialty. For example, an aspiring book or magazine designer would study Adobe InDesign, the leading page layout program. A specialist in web design might study Adobe Dreamweaver, while a web animator would focus on Adobe Flash. Designers from all disciplines would do well to have a working knowledge of Adobe Photoshop, the industry standard image editing program. Many colleges and universities offer continuing education or extension courses teaching how to use specific graphics software programs. In addition, most graphics software programs come with lessons and tutorials included in the software. There are online classes offered for most programs. Adobe and Microsoft offer free trial downloads with their graphics programs, enabling users to try the software before purchasing.

The Job Market

The job market for graphic designers is strongest in populous states with large cities and many media outlets such as California, Texas, Illinois and New York. The job market is best for specialists in web design and web animation. Median salaries are above average with experienced staff web animators earning above $50,000 per year while new hires start around $33,000, according the the Graphic Artists Guild Handbook. Job growth and new hires have slowed in the current economic downturn. Graphic designers are hired by graphic design firms, advertising agencies, publishers, corporations, and government and nonprofit institutions.

Freelancing

Many graphic designers choose to work as freelancers. The freelancer must operate his own small business as well as execute design jobs. A most important task for the freelancer is to create an ongoing program of self promotion to attract clients. Such a program might include the creation of a design portfolio, direct mail campaigns, a blog or newsletter, ads in design yearbooks, networking and direct cold calling of potential clients. It may take a year or more for the freelance designer to attract enough clients to support his business.

References

• Graphic Design Schools
• Graphic Artists Guild Handbook

Resources

• Graphic Design Job Market