A Day in the Life of a Graphic Designer

From Cari Johnson:
I found this on "The Princeton Review" website...www.princetonreview. Just found it very truthful about what to expect when becoming a graphic designer.

Career: Graphic Designer

A Day in the Life

Graphic designers create the visual presentation and design of goods, from gravestone markers to detergent boxes, from album covers to dog food cans. Work is usually done on a project basis. Designers must be able to work under extreme time pressures and very defined financial and design limits to produce quality material. A graphic designer must be able to synthesize input from a number of different sources into a distinctive image, using research prepared by a marketing department and cost specifications determined by a budgeting department, and produce a variety of sketches and models which demonstrate different approaches to the product. This takes a person who can listen to comments, has a good eye for aesthetic design and a flair for color, and a good understanding of the needs of the corporate world. “Graphic design isn’t one job. It’s twenty,” wrote one frazzled designer. “Salesman skills are very important if you want to see your designs accepted,” wrote another. Nearly all respondents listed communication skills as either second or third in importance for success in this profession. Over time, specialization is the name of the game, either in product design, packaging design, material use, or object arrangement. When projects are underway, graphic designers can expect to work long hours brainstorming and meeting with executives to discuss ideas. The job is highly visible; successes and failures alike are recognized and are put on display. Those who are insecure about their skills or their ideas have a hard time accepting the amount of risk and rejection this career entails. A successful graphic designer has an enviable life, choosing among clients and earning significant money. Be warned: An artist’s style may be very hot one season and turn into a parody the next; those who are unwilling or unable to change could find promising careers disappearing. Of the nearly 25,000 people who try to enter the field of graphic design each year, only about 15,000 last the first two years, and 8,000 last five years.

Paying Your Dues

No bachelor’s degree is required to become a graphic designer, but about two-thirds go to college, usually majoring in product design, art, or art history. Graphic designers must have talent and an understanding of the business world, including issues of finance and production, and should be familiar with computer technology such as PageMakerTM, PhotoshopTM, Adobe IllustratorTM, and other painting and graphic design tools. Graphic designers must be able to work in a variety of media and meet deadlines, sizing limits, and financial restrictions, especially those who wish to work as freelance graphic designers rather than in-house salaried designers. Basic preprofessional coursework should include design, drawing, computer artwork, and specific knowledge (for example, anatomy for medical graphics designers) relating to any area of specialization. Professionals must assemble a working portfolio to approach companies for work of any scale. For those who wish to pursue further study, over 100 schools offer accredited graphic design programs, according to the National Association of Schools of Art and Design, and each of them addresses issues of the working life of the graphic designer along with issues of design.

Associated Careers

Many artists turn to graphic design to make a living during their lean years, then return to art. A number become gallery owners and patrons and use the contacts they made as designers to help out any new talent in need of remunerative work. The large number of graphic artists who leave do so because of the scrambling lifestyle: The need to pursue work constantly and the requirement to act as a “salesman” for their own ideas. Others go in-house as design consultants and as magazine layout editors.