Graphic designing is a creative process of presenting or communicating a message to the target audience. A visual presentation of an idea or message becomes more appealing, allowing to communicate a clear message and helping in understanding the concept better. Graphic designer responsibilities include creation of such visual presentations or communications. A graphic designer needs to be a creative person whose visual creations deliver a message to us. Whatever we see around us are examples of a graphic designer's work like magazines, books, logos, movies, animations, road signs, product packaging, bill boards, marketing materials, etc., to name a few. They work with colors, graphics, letters, illustrations, photos and fonts and shape the world in a way that they want us to see. Some of the essential duties involve creating computer graphics, web page graphics, logos, illustrations, advertisements, brochures and many other forms of visual communication. These professionals provide an edge to the success of marketing and communication goals.
A graphic designer uses various methods to give rise to the visual representation of the ideas or messages. This may be done through an equivalent combination of visual art, page layout, typography, etc. It is to be understood that the work of graphic designing includes both the process undertaken and the final result or outcome of the process. One of the main duties of such a professional is to interact with the client directly and obtain specific data or information in order to sketch out the project concept. After the idea is conceptualized, the main work of the graphic designer begins.
In this era of marketing and communication, graphic designing is an extremely interesting and rewarding career choice. Job opportunities for such a position or profile are in abundance and are spread across various industries to choose from. A candidate with good technical knowledge and a creative mind can easily enter this interesting field. However, there are few other qualifications required for being successful in this job profile. To understand those aspects in detail, you may refer to the sections below.
Key Responsibilities of a Graphic Designer
Essential Skills Requirement
Educational Qualifications
Interested candidates must have a bachelor's degree in graphic design or art to qualify for a graphic designer job. A candidate with a bachelor's degree in fine arts or graphic designing has an edge over other applicants. Apart from this, one may attend several courses to sharpen their technical and artistic abilities. They must be well versed with several software programs like HTML, CSS, Abode creative suite, Acrobat, Javascript, etc.
Salary Details
The salary structure may depend on various factors. Payscale.com survey has witnessed that the average salary for a freshman graphic designer is $32,382 per year. While for a person with more than five years of experience, the average salary increases to an amount of $40,755 per annum. A graphic designer with extensive experience of more than ten to fifteen years may draw an average salary of $45000 per annum.
Career Outlook
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the employment rate of graphic designers is expected to increase 13% from 2008-2018 (www.bls.gov). Due to the increasing growth of marketing, communication and entertainment sector, the need of good graphic designing is required to meet the demands. This has opened up numerable job opportunities in this field. It is estimated that more job vacancies are expected in the advertising, video, television, movies, animation and Internet markets, while designers in print publishing are expected to experience a decline in demand.
In a nut-shell, we may conclude that graphic designer responsibilities involve a portfolio of artistic and creative work. If you are an entry-level job seeker or an experienced one, you need to have clear objectives and best talent to excel in this competitive field.