You can become a professional graphics designer
Graphics design as a career combines art, technology, and communication. The role of graphic designers cannot be over-emphasized as they play key parts in a variety of fields including marketing and advertising, publishing, healthcare, and digital communications. As you begin exploring graphic design-related jobs, it is beneficial to understand your career prospects and what various positions entail.
What do graphic designers do?
Graphic designers are professionals involved in the creation of graphics and layouts for a wide variety of products, including company logos, websites, clothing, books, games, and product user manuals. These professionals must possess a strong knowledge of color theory, image construction, font types, and many other artistic principles to determine the strongest appeal to the brand’s target market.
Graphic designers make creative use design programs to sketch new designs and incorporate existing brand details to create innovative designs that appeal to the brand’s target demographic.
What does it take to be a graphic designer:
Being a graphic designer requires the following skills and qualifications:
- You must be creative and innovative
- You must possess excellent IT skills, especially with the use of design and photo-editing software
- Computerized sketching abilities
- Paying attention to the commercial environment and business trends
- You must have good communication sense and understand your target audience
- Accuracy, attention to details, excellent time management, and organizational skills
- Proficiency in computer-aided design (CAD) software, including Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, Dreamweaver and InDesign, Corel Graphics Suite or Paintshop Pro
Jobs to explore as a Graphic designer
Having a degree related to graphic design can be very beneficial. But being a professional requires more than a degree, it takes skills and experience. The best job for you depends on your interests, skills, career goals and values.
Below are graphics-related jobs you can explore as a graphics designer:
- Art director
- Web designer
- Multimedia designer
- Publication designer
- Apparel graphic designer
- Production artist
- User experience (UX) designer
- User interface (UI) designer
- Product developer
- Photo editor
- Marketing specialist
- Multimedia artist or animator
- Logo designer
- Freelancer
- Advertising designer
- Packaging designer
Typical employers of graphic designers
- Advertising agencies
- Large print houses
- Brand agencies
- Signage companies
- Book, magazine and newspaper publishers
- Multimedia companies
- Television and broadcasting companies
- The packaging industry
- In-house graphic design services of major national and international organizations and companies
