So, You Want To be a Graphic Designer

The basics of the graphic design profession

person sitting facing laptop computer with sketch pad

When I was a kid, I wanted to be a veterinarian, or a chef, or a photographer, or a lawyer… I wanted to be many things; things that really had nothing to do with each other. I didn’t know what I was interested in or good at. During my junior year of high school in art class, we needed to pick an artistic career to research and I chose graphic design. This project gave me a good idea of what a career in the arts would look like and that is how I settled on my future college major. Maybe you've already decided you want a career in the arts, or maybe you just want to dip your toes in first. Either way, here is a basic look at a career in graphic design.

Job Description: Creates visually pleasing designs with the goal of communicating a message to a company/brand audience.

Education: A bachelor’s degree in graphic design or similar field such as marketing or digital media.

Skills: Creativity, communication, time-management, analytical, and critical thinking skills are important to have.

Industries: Marketing/promotional products, publication, retail, automotive, fashion, newsprint, etc.

Pay: $40 – $55,000 annually for an experienced designer. Pay will depend heavily on industry and business type.

Work Environment: Individual and collaborative projects usually required, most of the day is spent in front of a computer or tablet, casual to professional environments vary by industry and business type.

Let’s break down that overview starting with the job description. As a graphic designer you will be making visually pleasing designs that will communicate a message. This message will speak to the audience of the company you are working for. Depending on what industry you’re working in, you will be making anything from wedding invitations to billboards, logos to magazine page layouts. You may have the responsibility to design a wide array of content or you may be in charge of one design aspect, such as layout or photo editing. The amazing thing about a design degree, is that whatever you want to design, you can find an industry to work in. At the moment, I am a graphic designer for a small marketing agency, but my ultimate career goal is to design book covers for a publishing/printing bigwig. Some examples of industries that hire graphic designers are the marketing and promotional products, retail and fashion, and newspaper and print industries. Whatever industry you are interested in, a bachelor’s degree is most likely required.

I graduated in 2016 with an Associate’s Degree in graphic design, but had a lot of trouble finding a job in the field. Most employers didn’t even contact me after submitting my resume. My parents coaxed me into going back to college for my Bachelor’s degree and within a year I was hired in as a graphic designer. You don’t need to have a Bachelor’s in graphic design specifically. I went back to school for marketing and it landed me a diverse job in which I get to produce graphic work as well as manage our social media accounts. I believe a bachelor’s degree is important for this type of career, because it gives you time to gain a lot of experience. Your freshman portfolio is going to look vastly different from your senior portfolio. Companies looking to hire a graphic artist most likely want a candidate that is secure in their ability. Someone who knows the rules, but is willing to break them (the rules of design, that is). You can also gain experience from job shadows and internships which will look great on your resume.

While your education will get you to a point of understanding design and all that goes with it, you must also have a certain skill set to fit in well in this profession. The most obvious skill required to be a designer is creativity and I am assuming that if you’re interested in an arts degree, you are probably already some sort of artist. The graphic design profession is limitless and you will need to be able to come up with design concepts, sometimes with no direction at all. Critical thinking skills will assist you in whipping up useful designs in which the customer gives little, to no direction. Communication and time-management skills are a must as you will be speaking with clients about design concepts and producing work under their time expectations. I also believe that analytical skills can come in handy when analyzing your own work. You will need to be able to look at your designs and understand when, “yeah, that could use some improving,” or “I’m not quite sure this speaks the message that the client is wanting.” The majority of these skills you can learn through experience, but an artistic ability is (in my opinion) one of the most important skills to possess, as a natural talent will get you far in this career.

We’ve discussed industries, so let’s get to the part I know you’ve been waiting for: pay. While $40-$55,000 annually sounds great (at least for me it does), expect less than half of this when you land your first graphic job. The problem with this number is that in encompasses employed and freelancing designers from all types of industries. As an employed designer, you will be making an hourly wage, but as a freelancing designer, you can charge what you want. Some freelancers charge by the hour, others, by the project. The amount of money you make as a graphic designer will depend heavily on the industry you work in, where you’re located, and the size of the company you work for. Of course, the state of the economy might also have an impact on your pay, but that is true with any job. 

As a side note, don’t let any of the last paragraph deter you from entering the field. I promise that you can make a completely livable wage as a graphic designer. And, hey, if you’re hard working and good at what you do, you can look forward to pay raises in the future! And yes, you can be a freelancer, but having a secure job with benefits is definitely the way to go (trust me, I know).

As for the work environment, this will also highly depend on the industry and the size of the company. I work in a small office setting, where I can wear casual dress. My day consists of sitting in front of my computer for the majority of the work hours, receiving emails for mockups or designs needed and taking direction from my manager. After designs are produced, I collaborate with my manager to make sure that the designs can be used easily on promotional products. Even if the majority of your work is independent, you will at some point be collaborating, whether that be with the client, management, your design supervisor, or the marketing team. Some industries will require you to dress professionally for work and others will be lenient about what you wear. You could be in an office by yourself, able to listen to music as you work, or you could be surrounded by your peers. The work environment of a graphic designer will vary greatly depending on where you work and who you work for.

Wow, that was a lot of information! If you made it this far, you have a great understanding about the graphic design industry. Until I was attending college, I didn’t understand how vast and limitless the field is, which is why I love it so much! Ten years from now I could be doing something vastly different in the industry from what I am doing now. Graphic design is a great career for those who are creative and are looking for ample opportunities to grow and learn. If all this sounds good to you, I’ve included a few resources to get your started on your career path! Happy designing!


Resources:

University of Saint Frances: Graphic Design (AA, BA)
https://majors.sf.edu/graphic-design/

Interaction Design Foundation: What is Graphic Design?
https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/topics/graphic-design

Design Wizard: Famous Graphic Designers of 2021
https://www.designwizard.com/blog/famous-graphic-designers/


Citations:

“Graphic Designers” CollegeGrad LLC. 2021, https://collegegrad.com/careers/graphic-designers

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