What is a Graphic Designer? Explore the Graphic Designer Career Path

Become a Graphic Designer

Graphic designers work with both digital and physical media to create art that communicates and inspires. Using graphics, text, colors, and animations, graphics designers develop media assets for branding, advertising, and messaging. Graphics designers can work for agencies or themselves. They create a wide variety of design elements, such as brochures, infographics, marketing material layouts, and design elements for print, video, or web use.

The Day-to-Day as a Graphic Designer

A Graphic Designer uses elements like space, texture, color, line, size, form, and shape to create an aesthetic and functional design. They usually work at graphic design agencies, design studios, marketing firms, for corporations, at nonprofits, or on their own as freelancers. They can find work both full-time and part-time as well as remotely. Graphic Designers are in-demand in a variety of industries from entertainment to retail, education to technology.

Graphic Designers usually work on a team with Experience Designers, other Graphic Designers, a Creative Director or Design Director, a Production Manager, a Brand Identity Developer, an Illustrator, or a Layout Artist. A day in the life of a Graphic Designer will depend on their employer but they will probably be attending daily meetings, collaborating with clients, creating prototypes, solving problems with teammates, making graphics in Adobe Illustrator, conducting research, creating mood boards, and iterating on prototypes.

What Skills Should Graphic Designers Have?

A graphic designer should understand design theory and composition as well as aesthetics. They should have a deep understanding of typography including how to create or select fonts, line spacing, logo creation, and storyboard creation. Graphic designers must be proficient in common technology used in their industry including the Adobe Creative Suite, basic HTML and CSS, and Sketch. Nearly half of all Graphic Designers have taken at least one computer science course.

Soft skills are arguably one of the most important skill categories across the board for any career. You may be the most talented graphic designer in the world, but without soft skills, you cannot get hired or work well on a team. You’ll need to master client communication which will include asking the right questions, active listening, and regular liaising for the duration of each client project.

Graphic Design

Graphic design is the creation of visual content to communicate a message. Graphic design uses visual hierarchy, typography, photo editing, spacial awareness, empathy, color theory, and more to create visually appealing and communicative images. Graphic design can be done with software like Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator, Figma, and Sketch.

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Photoshop

Photoshop is a software application created by Adobe for image editing and photo retouching on Windows or macOS computers. Photoshop can be used to manipulate and retouch photos. It can also be used to create compositions, collages, design comprehensives, and more.

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InDesign

InDesign is a computer software created by Adobe for publishing and typesetting. It can also be used to create posts, flyers, magazines, brochures, newspapers, books, and presentations.

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Illustrator

Illustrator is a computer program for design developed by Adobe. Illustrator is used by designers to create and edit vector graphics. It can be used for print, web, applications, videos, animations, and more.

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Visual Design

Visual design is a set of strategic best practices used to improve a design or product's aesthetic appeal and usability through the selection of appropriate images, typography, use of space, hierarchy, color, and layout.

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Typical Qualifications to Become a Graphic Designer

Many graphic designers complete college degrees but it is not required to have a graphic design career. Any graphic designer will be required to demonstrate their skills beyond what is listed on their resume or contained in their portfolio. Most employers or clients who are looking to hire a graphic designer will also be looking for soft skills like good communication, active listening, and asking the right questions.

Searching for Graphic Designer Jobs

Graphic Designers may be employed within a marketing agency, as a part of an in-house team at a corporate company, or for a publication. If you have strong time management, communication, and business skills, you may find more satisfaction working as an independent contractor or freelancer. Freelancers and independent contractors can make just as much – if not more – money as an agency-employed graphic designer. They can take on multiple clients and projects which provide variety, motivation, and satisfaction in a career.

Graphic Designers can find jobs on these sites:

You can find freelance and independent contractor Graphic Designer jobs on these sites:

Tips for Graphic Designers

Graphic Designers will find that there are dozens of free websites where they can post their portfolio and services. Setting up a profile on Dribbble or a similar site will certainly get recognition. Connecting with Designers who are already employed, people who work at the companies you’re applying to, and consistently adding to your portfolio will help you build momentum in your job search. Even if you are looking for a more permanent position, freelancing while you look for a job is a great way to give yourself more experience and show employers you are motivated.

For Graphic Designers who would like to freelance, platforms are great ways to start but asking friends and family might be even more efficient for you! Fiverr is fantastic if you’ve already got an idea of the packages and services you’d like to offer while Upwork is a good place to start if you’re not sure what you’d like to offer. You’ll also find that networking on LinkedIn or online Meetups yields opportunities over time if you stick with it for a few months.

What Job Titles Would a Graphic Designer Hold?

Graphic Designers can apply for a wide variety of positions which may be narrowed down based on industry, skills, interests, location, and desired employer. Graphic Designers might start out in junior or entry-level positions but will find that rising the ranks to a Senior Graphic Designer is possible and will result in a better annual salary. Here are a few options you might be qualified for as a Graphic Designer:

Graphic Designer
Freelance Graphic Designer
Graphic Design Consultant
Graphic Design Strategist
Production Artist
Multimedia Designer
Art Director
Layout Artist
Book Designer
Creative Director
Brand Identity Developer
Marketing Designer
Logo Designer
Visual Designer
Visual Image Developer
Content Developer
Package Designer
Junior or Senior Designer
Concept Designer
Print Production Artist or Designer

Become a Graphic Designer

The Day-to-Day as a Graphic Designer

What Skills Should Graphic Designers Have?

Learn the Skills You Need to Become a Graphic Designer

Graphic Design

Photoshop

InDesign

Illustrator

Visual Design

Graphic Designer Salaries

Typical Qualifications to Become a Graphic Designer

Searching for Graphic Designer Jobs

Tips for Graphic Designers

What Job Titles Would a Graphic Designer Hold?

The Day-to-Day as a Graphic Designer

What Skills Should Graphic Designers Have?

Learn the Skills You Need to Become a Graphic Designer

Graphic Design

Photoshop

InDesign

Illustrator

Visual Design

Graphic Designer Salaries

Typical Qualifications to Become a Graphic Designer

Searching for Graphic Designer Jobs

Tips for Graphic Designers

What Job Titles Would a Graphic Designer Hold?

Related Careers

Salary Comparison to Graphic Designer

Digital Designer

Web Designer

Designer

User Experience Designer

Motion Graphics Designer