Graphic Designers : Career, Education & Earning

Also referred to as graphic artists, graphic designers create visual solutions to communicate messages across a range of media including print, electronic, television and film. Creation of these visual solutions is not just a one-step process for graphic designers. It requires a lot of planning and expert analysis so as to make the designs leave a long-lasting impact on the minds of the audiences. While working in the print media, graphic designers or graphic artists develop the overall design plan of newspapers, magazines, journals etc. These professionals can also be noticed busy creating a wide range of promotional displays including marketing brochures, business logos, banners etc. Nowadays, graphic design professionals can also make a profitable career in the world of Internet, designing web pages and working for various multimedia projects.

Multiple methods and techniques are used in the graphic designing industry. Whether it is illustration, photography, animation or other design and print techniques, graphic designers have to make use of their innovative skills to effectively communicate messages. The designers have to take into account a number of factors when they execute designs to attract the target audience. The factors that need to be considered, while planning and analyzing designs, may include cultural, physical and social. It is, therefore, very essential for graphic artists or designers to identify the needs and study the consumer behavior. These factors play a pivotal role and form the core of the field of graphic designing and development.

In addition to creating appealing designs, the work of a graphic artist may also include development of corporate communication strategies. Looking at the roles and responsibilities of graphic artists, it is obvious that they need to conduct a lot of research to comprehend the user behavior and to understand what they actually need. The sketches and layouts that graphic artists develop may either be hand-made or computer-aided. These sketches help the designer have a vision for what design they are going to create. As part of their duty, graphic artists also need to get in touch with clients, art directors and creative directors. Before the graphic designer actually begins with the designing and development, they need to clearly understand the business goals and targets of the company they are working for. It is very important for graphic designing professionals to know what goals the organization wants to achieve and deliver accordingly.

Educational Background & Training
To become a graphic artist or graphic designers, candidates need to obtain a bachelor's degree in arts or graphic designing. There are a number of universities, colleges and other accredited academic institutions that offer an array of professional courses in this field. Though a bachelor's degree in graphic design or arts can land you an entry level job, an associate degree or a higher degree is required to acquire a more technical position in the field of graphic design and development. Many of the associate's degree and certificate programs, offered by professional institutions, vary from 2 years to 3 years in duration. A 2-year or 3-year training program in graphic arts trains candidates in all the technical aspects of graphic design and development. These training programs are very essential for the advancement of career.

Of all the schools that offer courses and training in art and design, candidates should select one of those that have necessary accreditations. The National Association of Schools of Art and Design have given accreditation to around 250 post-secondary academic institutions. Besides being well versed with computer graphics, designers or graphic artists also need to keep them abreast of the changes and advancements taking place in the field of graphic arts and design.

Graphic Designers' Earning
The average annual salary of a graphics designer is around $39,900. With some design and development experience under the belt, they can earn a higher salary. By the year 2016, over 286,000 graphics designers jobs will be created. Though candidates may need to face tough competition, they will never find a dearth of job opportunities. Around 25% of all the graphic artists or graphic design professionals remain self employed.