Introduction to Graphic Design Education & Careers

The graphic designer's motto could be, "If I can see it in my mind, I can create it on the printed page." Yet, as vast of a landscape as that defines, it still falls short of the spetacular potential now afforded to the modern graphic artist. Not only do graphic designers have the latest technologies of the printed media as their pallet, but they also can see their visions displayed on web pages, television and in the cinema.

A career in graphic design is the marrying of art and commerce. Graphic designers use a variety of print, electronic, and film media to create designs that meet their clients' commercial (and in some cases non-commercial) needs. Using computer software such as Adobe Photoshop, QuarkXPress, Illustrator and/or Macromedia Fireworks, Flash and Freehand, they develop the overall layout and design of magazines, newspapers, journals, corporate reports, and other publications. Much of the work involves the use of vector images that can be manipulated easily. They also produce promotional displays, outdoor advertising, and marketing brochures for products and services, design unique and effective company logos, and develop signs. An increasing number of graphic designers develop material to appear on the world wide web. Indeed web designers represent one of the fastest growing related career fields and in many cases individuals work with the web and with traditional media. Graphic designers bring the talents and creativity of their artistic vision home to our every day world. They inspire and persuade us with their compelling images. They add the color, shape and texture that enriches our work, play and lives in general -- and the world's demand for qualified graphic designers is growing every year.

While it is true that the fundamentals of art and graphic design are as important now as they ever were, it is also true that the field has never been wider for these talents' exploration and expression. The development of new technologies is on the horizon. Other technologies, once thought to be new, not so very long ago, are becoming a part of our everyday landscape. With an ever-increasing appreciation of and demand for graphic imagery by the marketplace and the media, the outlook for creative and innovative designers who can master their art in these new environments has never been brighter.

Related Careers

• Advertising • ApparelDesign • Architecture • CAD • ComputerArt/Design • Design • Environmental Design

• Exhibit Design • Fashion Design • Floral Design • Footwear Design • Furniture Design • Game Design • Graphic Design

• Illustration • Industrial Design • Interior Design • Landscape Design • Product Design • Toy Design • Web Site Design