Graphic design as a profession has been getting a lot of attention in recent years, and talented individuals are always needed to fill the positions made available by rising demand. If you’re considering attending a college for graphic design and pursuing a design industry career, you might be thinking, what does a graphic designer do? Read today’s design industry blog to find out!
WHAT DOES A GRAPHIC DESIGNER DO ANYWAY?
What does a graphic designer do? Simply put, graphic designers are visual communicators. It is their job to transform an idea or concept into a visual of some kind that communicates a message.
The goal of someone with a graphic design career is to solve problems and share information through images. By combining art principles, modern technology, and traditional mediums and materials, a graphic designer can create a visual representation of an idea.
Typically, a graphic designer works by interpreting a client’s needs and desires, and uses this information to create something that will communicate a specific message to that client’s customers or target audience.
GRAPHIC DESIGN = ART, SO DOES GRAPHIC DESIGNER = ARTIST?
Graphic designers are often lumped together with fine artists. While this is very flattering, there is a distinction between the two design industry careers that must be made. Fine art is usually created to allow for maximum interpretation by the viewer — the artist creates art in order to make people stop, think, and feel in any way they wish.
People with graphic design careers are on the opposite end of the spectrum. Their goal when creating a design is to communicate a very specific message to a select group of people. If there is a wide range of interpretations possible with a design, then the designer really isn’t doing a very good job.
This isn’t to say that graphic design isn’t a kind of art, or that graphic designers aren’t a breed of artist too. Rather, it’s an explanation of who they are, and what they do.
WHAT DOES ALL OF THIS MEAN FOR YOU?
If you’re already attending college for graphic design, you can look forward to applying your problem-solving skills to help your clients reach out to their customers and speak clearly to them using a variety of presentation methods, tools, etc. From magazines to billboards to plastic grocery bags, graphic design is everywhere!
If you are still on the fence about attending graphic design school, you can use this information to help you decide if a design industry career would be a good fit. If you enjoy solving problems, communicating through shape, form, color, and type, and you often find yourself wondering how you could improve a product’s packaging, then you just might have the spirit of a graphic designer waiting to come out.
Graphic design careers aren’t always glamorous or high-profile. Sometimes they can be downright tedious, but what they will always be is worthwhile! Graphic designers feel a calling to share information with the world, and find that doing so through a more artistic form of expression is most rewarding.
While it’s true that many great graphic designers seem to have been born with their talent, don’t let a lack of traditional art skills stop you from attending college for graphic design! Even if you aren’t the world’s best traditional artist, you can still rock the world through more digital mediums. All you need is a push in the right direction, and the knowledge to make the most of the tools available to you.
So, what does a graphic designer do?
They change the world, one design at a time.
EXPLORE YOUR CAREER OPTIONS WITH US!
If you’re looking to really answer “What is graphic design?” and “What does a graphic designer do?” then you’ve found the right place! Here at F.I.R.S.T. Institute‘s Graphic Design School, we do all we can to ensure that our students receive the best possible educational opportunities while in college for graphic design. We give students access to everything they need to succeed in the design industry, both in class and on the job.
If you’d like to know more about our Graphic Design and Web Development program, please give us a call or send us an email! Our admissions team is standing by to answer any questions you might have about attending college for graphic design.
