A Career in Graphic Design

Most people grow up dreaming about becoming an actor, singer, or a professional athlete. They want to be famous, for people to know their name, and they also probably want to make a large amount of money. While getting into one of those professions is slim to none, there is a career that can offer some of the same exciting opportunities. A graphic designer is an interesting job because it allows creativity and artistry, combines designing with business and marketing, and gives an opportunity to become well-known in the field.

Louise Horton once summed up the job description of the graphic designer by referring to him or her as the “Architect of the Printed Page” (Horton). Graphic Designers can be credited for the marketing design of every magazine, book, commercial, and poster to ever hit the business world (Horton). However, designers have a bigger goal than to just make pretty artwork for the public to see. The work that a graphic designer does is usually synonymous with propaganda. It is their job to try to make people feel a certain way about an object or topic (Horton). The idea is to put together colors, words, and pictures to represent an idea that can be recognized and remembered by the public easily. (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). The designer must also be very flexible and willing to take criticism, because when it comes down to it, their design must be what the client wants. Doing research is very important in this field because it must be understood what the goal is and how the client wants their idea portrayed to the public. Nevertheless, this occupation poses a fantastic opportunity to show creativity and originality and that is able to be seen more clearly through the free-lance designer.

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... the increase in marketing goods at supermarkets and other merchandisers (Gordon). Contrarily, print publishing is expected to see a decline (Johnston). Overall, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that there will be a 13% increase in employment of graphic designers (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).

In Graphic Design, it is all about choosing the area that fits you best. A Graphic Designer at the University of Illinois, Becky Ponder said, “A job that just focuses on design, rather than communications, and marketing can be more interesting but will require more work.” One person could really shine in the artistic side of the job while another excels in the marketing area. No matter what section of the field is being stressed, one thing is for sure. Whether work is done individually or with a design firm, there are always new and exciting opportunities.