What you need to know about GRAPHIC DESIGNERS

What Graphic Designers Do

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Graphic designers create visual concepts, using computer software or by hand, to communicate ideas that inspire, inform, and captivate consumers. They develop the overall layout and production design for various applications such as advertisements, brochures, magazines, and corporate reports.

Duties of Graphic Designers

Graphic designers typically do the following:

• Meet with clients or the art director to determine the scope of a project
• Use digital illustration, photo editing software, and layout software to create designs
• Create visual elements such as logos, original images, and illustrations that help deliver a desired message
• Design layouts and select colors, images, and typefaces to use
• Present design concepts to clients or art directors
• Incorporate changes recommended by clients or art directors into final designs
• Review designs for errors before printing or publishing them

Graphic designers combine art and technology to communicate ideas through images and the layout of websites and printed pages. They may use a variety of design elements to achieve artistic or decorative effects.

Graphic designers work with both text and images. They often select the type, font, size, color, and line length of headlines, headings, and text. Graphic designers also decide how images and text will go together on a print or webpage, including how much space each will have. When using text in layouts, graphic designers collaborate closely with writers, who choose the words and decide whether the words will be put into paragraphs, lists, or tables. Through the use of images, text, and color, graphic designers can transform statistical data into visual graphics and diagrams, which can make complex ideas more accessible.

Graphic design is important to marketing and selling products, and is a critical component of brochures and logos. Therefore, graphic designers, also referred to as graphic artists or communication designers, often work closely with people in advertising and promotions, public relations, and marketing.

Frequently, designers specialize in a particular category or type of client. For example, some create the graphics used on retail products packaging, and others may work on the visual designs used on book jackets.

Graphic designers need to keep up to date with the latest software and computer technologies in order to remain competitive.

Some individuals with a background in graphic design become postsecondary teachers and teach in design schools, colleges, and universities.

Some graphic designers may specialize in the field of experiential graphic design. These designers work with architects, industrial designers, landscape architects, and interior designers to create interactive design environments, such as museum exhibitions, public arts exhibits, and retail spaces.

Work Environment for Graphic Designers

Graphic designers hold about 266,300 jobs. The largest employers of graphic designers are as follows:

Self-employed workers	18%
Specialized design services	11
Advertising, public relations, and related services	8
Printing and related support activities	7
Newspaper, periodical, book, and directory publishers	6

Graphic designers generally work in studios, where they have access to drafting tables, computers, and the software necessary to create their designs. Although many graphic designers work independently, those who work for specialized graphic design firms often work as part of a design team. Many graphic designers collaborate with colleagues or work with clients on projects.

Graphic Designer Work Schedules

Graphic designers' schedules can vary depending on workloads and deadlines.

Those who are self-employed may need to adjust their workday to meet with clients in the evenings or on weekends. In addition, they may spend some of their time looking for new projects or competing with other designers for contracts.

Experience for Graphic Designers

Graphic designers often gain their initial experience through internships. Internships provide aspiring graphic designers an opportunity to work with designers and to experience the design process from concept to completion, in some cases while completing a design program.

Licenses, Certifications, and Registrations for Graphic Designers

Certification programs are generally available through software product vendors. Certification in graphic design software can demonstrate a level of competence and may provide a jobseeker with a competitive advantage.

Important Qualities for Graphic Designers

Analytical skills. Graphic designers must be able to look at their work from the point of view of their consumers and examine how the designs they develop will be perceived by consumers to ensure they convey the client's desired message.

Artistic ability. Graphic designers must be able to create designs that are artistically interesting and appealing to clients and consumers. They produce rough illustrations of design ideas, either by hand sketching or by using computer programs.

Communication skills. Graphic designers must communicate with clients, customers, and other designers to ensure that their designs accurately reflect the desired message and effectively express information.

Computer skills. Most graphic designers use specialized graphic design software to prepare their designs.

Creativity. Graphic designers must be able to think of new approaches to communicating ideas to consumers. They develop unique designs that convey a certain message on behalf of their clients.

Time-management skills. Graphic designers often work on multiple projects at the same time, each with a different deadline.

Graphic Designer Salaries

The median annual wage for graphic designers is $47,640. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $27,950, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $82,020.

The median annual wages for graphic designers in the top industries in which they work are as follows:

Specialized design services	$49,070
Advertising, public relations, and related services	48,370
Newspaper, periodical, book, and directory publishers	41,020
Printing and related support activities	38,360

Graphic designers' schedules can vary depending on workload and deadlines.

Those who are self-employed may need to adjust their workday to meet with clients in the evenings or on weekends. In addition, they may spend some of their time looking for new projects or competing with other designers for contracts.

Job Outlook for Graphic Designers

Employment of graphic designers is projected to grow 5 percent over the next ten years, about as fast as the average for all occupations. The work of graphic designers will continue to be important in the marketing of products throughout the economy.

The projected change in employment of graphic designers over the next ten years varies by industry. For example, employment of graphic designers in newspaper, periodical, book, and directory publishers is projected to decline 22 percent over the next ten years. However, employment of graphic designers in computer systems design and related services is projected to grow 20 percent over the same period. Companies are continuing to increase their digital presence, requiring graphic designers to help create visually appealing and effective layouts of websites.