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Occupation
Overview
Graphic
Designers have been around for decades, creating
the ads we see in magazines. The advent of
computer software (which requires a graphical
user interface) and the Internet (which most
companies have begun developing websites for)
has created a need for more graphic designers.
Graphic
Designers are artistic individuals who develop
and/or implement the "look and feel"
of a project. The project can be any of a
variety of things: advertisements, training
materials, marketing materials, software games,
K-12 educational software, entertainment software
that also educates, a company's internal Internet
(called an intranet), etc.
This
field is project-oriented and deadline-driven.
And while good design skills used to be sufficient
in this occupation, good technical skills
are now also needed in order to use computers
in design work. In fact, many Graphic Designers
create some of their work for display on the
Internet these days. Still, good hand drawing
skills can improve ones chance of getting
hired.
While
a college degree is not required, training
is, and several certificate programs exist
to provide it.
This
industry is centered in the San Francisco
Bay Area. Excellent training programs exist,
and during normal economic times jobs are
readily available. Like most other occupations,
this one has been hit by the recent weakening
of the economy, resulting in fewer jobs and
sometimes-lower pay. But when the economy
turns around businesses will be eager to tell
people about themselves, and jobs will return
for Graphic Designers.
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Future
Growth Opportunities
Opportunities
for Advancement:
With
experience one can become a Senior Graphic
Designer or Art Director.
Skills
Transferable to:
Animation,
Advertising, Technical Writing, Illustration,
and Web Design.
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Job
Descriptions
There
are several closely related occupations that
can fall under the heading of graphic design:
graphic designer, multimedia artist, graphic
artist, production artist, illustrator, and
web designer. As one progresses in this field
they become familiar with more tools, can
do things more quickly, and can also earn
higher wages.
It
is worth noting that Graphic Designers producing
for the Web can earn twice what print-focused
Graphic Designers earn. This can require familiarity
with additional web tools, such as Dreamweaver,
PageMill, GoLive, or FrontPage.
Entry
Level: $10 - 16 / hour ($14 / hour average)
The Intern or entry level designer has no
previous work experience in graphic design,
but they do have demonstrated artistic ability
and experience and/or training on a minimum
set of relevant software tools (e.g., Adobe
PageMaker, Adobe Illustrator, Quark Xpress,
Adobe InDesign, and Adobe Photoshop). The
major focus of their work is on producing
what has been designed by a more senior graphics
designer, fine-tuning the designs made by
more senior designers, creating easy computer
drawings, and pasting stubs.
Experienced,
New to Job: $10 - 27 / hour ($22 / hour average)
This Designer will create illustrations and
contribute original artwork. Detailed knowledge
of several relevant software packages is required,
along with a general understanding of the
production process and successful completion
of several projects.
Experienced
in Job: $11 - 40 / hour ($30 / hour average)
Senior Designers work with the larger clients
and have added responsibilities such as setting
up presentations. They have five or more years
experience as a Graphic Designer and are considered
an expert with most software packages and
computer platforms.
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