Graphic Design Careers: Fascinating Industry Or Artistic Endeavor?

What is graphic design? Graphic design is the most unique of all the forms of art. It represents both the personal and public needs of individuals in a plethora of many different types, including art and architecture, philosophy and ethics, literature and language, science and politics and performance arts.

We see graphic design everywhere we go, in everything we buy, even on the things we wear. We see it on everything: billboards, websites, and even traditional items such as birth and marriage certificates. Graphic design ranges from the directional arrows on street signs to the bright red and white logo on Coca-Cola bottles.

Graphic design is a complex combination of words and pictures, numbers and charts, photographs and illustrations. These elements all add up to something distinctive, surprising, and memorable. That being said, how does one actually pursue a career in this fascinating industry? Graphic designers need to master a wide variety of skills, consisting of around five different categories of study. These include but are not limited to:

Perception, visual organization, and ascetics. Designers need to be able to think about visual forms and how they want to put them together to convey a meaning. This type of design is meant to be a type of visual language and has many nuances to it such as points, lines, planes, volumes, spaces, areas, textures and colors, as well as how they are used to create symmetry, proportion and rhythm.

Visualizing techniques. Designers need to be familiar with basic imaging tools, techniques and processes to produce images, sketches, models, and refined finished work. Many graphic design students learn photography, various kinds of drawing, model making and diagramming as ways to develop their skills.

Various types of technology. Technology has always played a role in the process of graphic design. Designers can create in two and three dimensions using various materials as computers, cameras, drawings, and working with the letterpresses and video imaging equipment. The graphic designer's selection of materials and tools can easily change what an image looks like.

Message and design content. Graphic designers address the communication problem. It is their job to interpret ideas and represent them with images and words. Skill in thinking about and creating meaning with images, types and symbols is essential.

Design Theory. Design theory is the principle underlying what the graphic designer is trying to communicate and why. Graphics design artists may be called upon to communicate happiness, fear, sadness, love, and more.

Graphic designers must possess a combination of skills, including creativity, technical computer and design skills, and the ability to understand how to reach their targeted audience. They are responsible for helping marketing departments, small business owners, large corporations, nonprofit groups and government agencies. Courses of study to consider if entering college include, but are not limited to:

-Composition
-Typography
-Photography
-Imaging
-Computer Science
-Media and Internet

The average annual salary of a graphic design artist is approximately $40,000 per year on the low end, and an experienced graphic artist can make upwards of $53,000 per year.