Applying the Art of Design Entering the field of graphic design, there are plenty of career choices that present themselves after one graduates.
Although there are several different avenues one can pursue, there are some general areas that most graphic designers will find themselves In once they graduate from school. To name a few: Design Studios In-House Design Printing Companies Freelance Work Design Studios are located around the country, and really provide a great variety of work for a designer. Linens come from all different backgrounds and also have raying needs. On the plus side of working for a design studio, the ability to work with peers who have different ideas, ensures that the customer will get the best possible solution for their needs.
Bouncing Ideas off of fellow employees creates a very open and creative atmosphere that can be beneficial In creating a final product that both meets the needs of the client, and holds up to personal design standards.Something to be aware of in this field is that time is of the essence, and working quickly and efficiently as essential to being successful in this area of employment. Sizes of studios can vary based on geographical location, and client demand. While smaller studios will work with only a few clients, recurring, larger studios will work with a wider range of clients and take on more jobs due to employee size. Job positions at design studios include but are not limited to: Designers Production Artists Account Service Representatives Illustrators Photographers FIFO photographers on staff, or will have them on call.
The clientele for studios is another aspect that will vary from studio to studio, but clients that one can expect to get while irking here are: Advertising Agencies who hire out for some of their work, institutions that do not have an in-house design department, and companies both small and large who contract out their design work. Working at a design studio also provides the designer with a wide range of production that he/she can look forward to doing. Including: brochures, mailers (mail advertising), illustrations, photography, catalogs, display materials either for promotion or the workplace, websites and promo videos.Based on the type of designer a person is, there can be advantages ND disadvantages to working in small or large studios.
Smaller studios give designers the opportunity to give the client full service design, meaning that they can manage the Job from start to finish ensuring that there is no subcontracting of duties. With larger studios, the chance that this happens is smaller due to the fact that the list of clients a studio is dealing with at one time are much larger, so there is a chance that multiple designers are working on the same project.For the designer, working in a larger studio also provides a very creative environment with a larger umber of employees, which makes for a more creative environment. Where larger studios offer a more creative environment sometimes, smaller studios give a designer a better chance at working with a variety of different design problems.
I have provided an example of what a large design studio in Chicago has produced for a client. The studio is called Fireball, and from looking at their website, they have a wide range of services they offer for clients.This particle example was dealing with a complete brand overhaul for a company called Rebuilding Exchange. The company eels with refurbishing building materials that have wound up in landfills and making them reusable for the public. Some things that Fireball has done to revamp this company's identity includes: business cards, hangings, brochures, notepads, specificities, etc.
Their emphasis was on DID, and by adding a fingerprint to the logo, it gives it a more personal look for the consumer, making a connection.While Design Studios can be a great place for most designers to have a career, some want to have Just one client that they want to work with, and with that, we have he field of In-House Design. In-House Design is usually when an institution, hires on a design staff to handle all of they design related work. Design work focuses strictly on specific institution activities and will less than likely stray from that. Operations for design work are funneled down from an Art Director to his/her staff.The growth of computer software, and technology accessibility has cause a growth in In-House Design.
Institutions that will usually have in-house design teams include: hospitals, banks, newspapers, insurance companies, publishers, museums, colleges and universities, and also large and small scale manufacturing companies. Working with an in-house design team most likely wont be the dream Job for every designer, but there are pros and cons to having a career in this field.One can gain experience by really getting to know a company and understand its work in depth. Deadline pressures are not as demanding as they are in studios. There is a lack of challenges compared to a studio where they are dealing with a variety of clients.
A good thing with a studio. Printing companies offer an area of design that some designers might consider outdated. But working for a printing company can give a designer an appreciation for the way things were before all of this technology became the standard in graphic design.There are several companies usually local to a designer that offer many positions within the company. Internships provide a designer with prepares work and it also gives the designer experience in technical aspects of reproductions.
Understanding how artwork interacts with the materials it is being placed on can give the designer a real world understanding about how a design needs to be versatile so that it can be used on several different applications. Advertising Agencies offer designers an expanded world of design.Not only does one get to come up with a design concept and brand identification, but not the world of advertising and marketing come into play. Advertising is a world that is dominated by people who deal in words, logos, and all areas of effective marketing.
Agencies will usually have a larger group of people working on a concept, so brainstorming and creative solutions are essential. More money is spent on advertising than any other area of graphic design, which in turn, means that incomes are higher in this emending field of design.Project types one can find in this field are all forms of print, multimedia advertising, television, packaging, display, billboards, and internet applications. In this field, the higher ranks of creative directors and executives, it is crucial to be versatile, idea conceptualization, and managing employees.
The ability to be able to present ideas both verbally and visually is key to success in this area of design. I have chosen this ad for a company called Earth]justice. This was a print ad done for them by an advertising company called Big Think Studios which is out of SanFrancisco, California. The ad was run to raise awareness of what the company stands for and to try and keep the environment safe. Some duties that Big Think had was to create a communications plan, mission statement, logo update, tagging, brochures, a newsletter, TV ad, radio as and conference banners.
The next advertisement that I have found was for a vitamin water company Activate. The advertising agency responsible for the revamp was Big Spaceship out of Brooklyn, New York. The brand is a water company that allows you to add vitamins to your water with the twist of a cap.Duties for the Job included brand voice development, Faceable sampling initiative, site design, ecosystem strategy, front and back end development, and social application development. Freelance work is a field that allows the maximum amount of freedom for designers.
But at the same time, it requires a certain amount of business related skills. The individual needs to be self-motivated, because there is no boss to do this for you. The designer also needs to stay constantly vigilante for potential new clients. Organization skills are a must in billing and record keeping, because there is no uncial department in freelance.One downside to being a freelance designer is that there is no health insurance or retirement benefits.
I decided to select a piece The picture is of a conceptual logo for a canine and feline products company. So there are many challenges that all designers face when stepping out into the job world. Working through restrictions and demands of the design process. They must have an ability to see the finished product before completion. Meeting personal design standards as well as client needs is probably one of the more important challenges.
One not only wants to make sure their design is something that they would show to the public, but also that it meets all of the customers needs and preferences. Organization and self-discipline to meet deadlines. Designers must be able to work with overlapping deadlines when working with multiple clients. A designer must always continue learning as new software continues to be ever- changing. Take a responsible stance in the world as a designer in terms of sustainability, and resourcefulness.
And also being able to set visual trends for the world and get people to think is a new fresh, creative way.
