careernav.

General Description

This is an ideal career for creative thinkers. As a graphic designer, you produce visual solutions in order to communicate the needs of your client to a target audience.

Career Advice - Graphic Designer Career

Your work is required in a variety of areas, such as magazines, newspapers, advertisements, books, posters, exhibitions, product packaging, computer games, corporate communications and websites.

You consider a range of ways to get your message across, through colours, font, illustration, animation, photography, and print and layout techniques, to meet the objectives of the “creative brief” or requirements of the client.

Graphic designers collect information and inspiration by communicating with clients, creative or art directors and undertaking relevant research. You develop sketches and layouts, either freehand or using specialised software, to create a vision for your design. After client or director approval, the design is perfected and passed on to the printing department to finalise.

What you do every day

A work day as a graphic designer will largely depend on your area of design. You may undertake a range of tasks including meeting with clients and art directors to gain an understanding of their requirements and visual communication needs; interpreting the client’s business needs in a suitable design concept; researching related areas and developing design sketches and layouts within cost and time constraints; presenting ideas to clients for approval; adjusting design to suit their needs and tastes; presenting finalised designs and layouts to clients and art directors; using computer-aided design software (CAD) to execute designs; and supervising all design stages, such as arranging and printing.

On the whole, your work will require you to contribute ideas to the overall brief; maintain a knowledge of IT developments, namely design programs such as Illustrator, Photoshop, 3D Studio, Dreamweaver, Quark Xpress, and Flash; work as part of a team, not only with other graphic designers, but with professionals including printers, copywriters, photographers, website designers, and marketing specialists; and work to tight deadlines.

Personality that best fits this career

Graphic design requires strong artistic, creative and technical skills, involving an aptitude for computer-aided design (AutoCAD), and an understanding of colour and form. You will need the ability to turn messages and ideas into visual communications, which requires a flair for marketing, and the ability to produce accurate and appropriate graphic designs.

Communication skills are important, since you will have to incorporate your client’s objectives and ideas into your planning. You will often be working in a team, consulting with the art director, and other professionals. You may go through multiple design stages, redrafting and making alterations, and so patience and problem-solving skills are necessary. During the design process, you will draw on your ability to concentrate and stay organised, as well as to manage your time effectively.

The ability to manage a project, working independently or in a team, is a vital skill. Considering the tough competition in this industry, you will need ambition, motivation and dedication to succeed. Deadlines require the ability to work under pressure and to a schedule. In terms of self-employment, business skills are important. Overall, empathy and flexibility is necessary to deal with a range of clients.

Best thing about this career

The best aspect of being a graphic designer is the freedom to be creative and imaginative. Despite the pressure of meeting a deadline, or an overbearing client, nothing beats the pride and satisfaction of seeing your designs come to life just as you imagined them. Your creativity will impact and inform others, as your carefully designed communications convey a range of messages.

Your work is also very important to clients, who need to keep up in the world of advertising and marketing. Two projects will never be the same, and this brings constantly challenging and varied work.

Worst thing about this career

Under the pressure of deadlines, you may experience creative block which will make it difficult to think of original designs. You will also encounter fussy and demanding clients, who do not necessarily appreciate or approve of your designs. The graphic design industry is very competitive, and so finding success within the field can be difficult. You may spend years struggling on low wages and uninspiring jobs to get any kind of recognition.

Regardless of whether you are self-employed or working within a business, designers have to be assertive when pitching ideas to prospective clients. The work will rarely come to you.