Are you considering working in the field of graphic design? Congratulations, you’ve selected a specialty in which employers are putting in high demand right now, and earnings are competitive, especially for entry-level work.
Let’s be honest here: it’s one of the coolest jobs out there. You’ll look forward to getting up every morning knowing that you’ll be having a productive day working on things you enjoy, surrounded by other creatives who keep you motivated and share your enthusiasm.
Becoming a graphic designer brings you to unpredictable locations, businesses, and careers. Graphic design allows a wide range of alternatives, even some that haven’t been developed yet in today’s rapid technological advancement.
The attractiveness of pursuing a graphic design career
It’s a no-brainer that pursuing a career path in graphic design is a significant investment for the future. Therefore, it’s important to ensure whether that’s what you really want to do. If you’re still unsure or need more information on why this path will be correct for you, take a look at our take below for your consideration.
It’s a high demand business
There’s a lot of talk circulating about the possibility of some occupations being taken over by robots soon, especially when the age of automation keeps dominating our daily life. However, you can be sure that graphic design will always involve human thought and creativity. It’s a necessary component in the workplace.
Yes, simple design collateral still can be automated to an extent, but in essence, robots don’t have immense creative capabilities like humans. Growing a fulfilling communication and complete brand identity that’s appealing and distinctive to the target audience still requires the expertise of a human professional. As a result, pursuing a career in graphic design is a wise, future-proof choice.
Problem-solving skills will be improved
Regardless of the nature of brands or companies, creativity will always take a certain degree of percentage for their success. Apple’s Steve Jobs once stated, “It’s in Apple’s DNA that technology alone is not enough. It’s technology married with the liberal arts, married with the humanities, that yields the results that make our hearts sing.“
With this in mind, a job related to graphic design can help improve your problem-solving abilities. It’s because you’ll be not only dealing with regular customer difficulties but also being pushed to think about the larger picture. What problem would your design address? What value will it add? How will it help a brand reach its objectives? More talents will be enhanced as a result of designing than you may realize.
You’ll never stop being inspired
Things may rapidly get monotonous after you feel you’ve “conquered” many things in your career. For graphic designers, though, this isn’t always the case. Whether you’re switching jobs at 40 or just starting at 50, a graphic design career will always inspire you.
Trends will arise and shift throughout time, keeping you on your toes every day. You never know what’s going to happen next. And in terms of a professional path, that has to be the most motivating thing.
Learning will be a daily thing
Your job as a graphic designer will never cease growing and changing. New difficulties will continually present themselves. There are new difficulties to tackle. It’s an endless frenzy of creation and discovery. You’re going to create errors. We’re all guilty of it.
Following a graphic design career path doesn’t imply that you merely study the rules and move on. Throughout your professional journey, you’ll have to concentrate on enhancing and growing your abilities and expertise.
Basic skills like understanding typography, blending colors, and implementing grids can constantly be improved. At the same time, new technologies and approaches are frequently being developed, which you’ll need to keep up with.
About 1970 veteran design graduates who used to work non-digitally, for instance, are now grappling with cutting-edge technologies such as virtual reality and augmented reality. Just think of what you’ll be working on in a half-century!
If that thought makes you feel uneasy, graphic design may not be for you. However, if it thrills you, go ahead with it!
You’ll change the way you see the world
A profession in graphic design will change the way you look at things. It’s not an exaggeration to say that you’ll view things in a whole new light as you stroll down the street.
Everything you do and see will inspire you, enabling you to save ideas for your future endeavors. The designing world gives you a fresh viewpoint and motivates you to go out more and seek new things. Your life will be filled with creative delight, from accessories and apparel to building architecture and art galleries.
Different graphic design career paths
A common graphic design career path starts from taking part in a corporation’s in-house design team or becoming a junior graphic designer in a creative industry.
There’s also the option of working as a freelancer. Once they’ve worked for a few years, many graphic designers turn to this route. However, there’s no written obligation that states that you must have a job right after graduation; if the flexibility of freelancing appeals to you (and you have enough money to get you through the first few months), this path could be worth exploring right after graduation.
You’ll discover that your graphic design career path can bring you to any specific route, whether you’re a paid or freelance designer. If you have a true passion for something, it’s a wise decision to pursue it. Whether you want to be a product designer or something else entirely, talented people with specific design talents will always be in demand.
Of course, many eventually also decide that rather than working for someone, they can also generate money for themselves. As a result, you can choose to start your own design firm or agency in the future. With some of the world’s largest corporations relying mostly or fully on design, the sky truly is the limit! Alternatively, you can find yourself on a professional path you didn’t anticipate, like our list below.
Web Designer
Alongside UI and UX, genuinely interesting websites typically require amazing design aesthetics, which is where graphic design comes in. The layout and design of a landing page or website are the responsibility of a web designer. Besides modifying the company’s existing webpage, they can also be responsible for creating an entirely brand new webpage.
Web designers plan, design, and develop websites and webpages, many of which include audio, video, graphics, and other media. Therefore, a web designer will benefit from having outstanding visual design abilities and being knowledgeable in graphic design programs such as Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop.
Packaging Designer
Brands are always looking for fresh and innovative methods to sell their products; thus, designers are needed to assist them in creating interesting visuals for their packaging. There are a plethora of professional prospects for artists and designers in such a profitable business, ranging from beverage brands to toiletries and confectionery.
When you’re a packaging designer, every day will be different: meeting clients, doing a photoshoot, designing on the computer, producing mock-ups, and cutting and sticking stuff—all contribute to significant improvement over your previous position.
Game Designer
Gaming design may appear to be an enticing challenge for aficionados of 8-bit, Oculus Rift, and everything in between. This graphic design career path is considered to be feasible for a long time, given the industry’s rapid growth. Once you’ve figured out how characteristics, behaviors, and rules operate, making a game is a breeze.
Book Cover Designer
Ebooks are becoming increasingly popular among people, but printed pages are still in high demand among book enthusiasts all over the world. As a result, there’s a huge need for intriguing covers that’ll entice potential readers, which is fantastic news for designers.
The old adage is that you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but many in the publishing industry know better. A good book cover design shouldn’t only appear beautiful on the shelf but also effectively express the title, indicate the genre, and attract the right audience for the book itself. To put it another way, design is critical to the aesthetics and sales of a book.
Fashion Designer
You’re probably wondering how pursuing graphic design can lead you to become a fashion designer as one of the career paths in this list. Creatives are rarely attracted to just one aspect of designs, as you may already know. Because fashion is a natural extension of many other types of visual expression, it’s no surprise that some graphic design careers can actually lead to accessory and garment creation.
Observing how your designed clothes can brighten up someone’s day might provide you with a lot of motivation to do this one, especially if you’re really into fashion and designing at the same time. Working as a fashion designer entails much more than being able to draw mood boards. Besides creativity, you’ll also need other talents like IT.
3D Illustrator
Rather than pursuing a career that covers all conventional abilities, the 3D illustration might be a good compromise between this and focusing on modern computer procedures. 3D artists are involved in media production and produce innovative graphics and animations using illustration and computer software applications.
When it comes to this type of business, having strong manufacturing abilities is only half of the equation. You must also be skilled at conveying your thoughts and meticulously preparing your initiatives.
Wedding Invitation Designer
Weddings have always been a major business for so long, with the average bride and groom spending tens of thousands of dollars on their big day. With the wedding market flourishing, there are plenty of opportunities for graphic designers, with couples needing everything from table arrangements to save-the-dates.
Many graphic design graduates have been drawn to this professional path since no two wedding invitations are alike. Every day brings a new challenge or problem that they must address via design.
Teacher
A large proportion of graphic design graduates also show lots of interest in becoming a teacher or lecturer. You can try to return to your university to assist in the development of aspiring graphic designers.
This job is perfect for you who are still as enthusiastic about design as you first started. You’ll be delighted to witness your pupils’ enthusiasm for design. There’s that accomplished feeling knowing you can help educate students who may have never known design before and then watch them graduate with the abilities necessary to work as a designer. It also offers you a refreshing perspective on designs since you’re surrounded by people with quite varied opinions.
UX/UI Designer
Although the aesthetic aspect of the design is the primary reason many individuals decide to pursue graphic design, other people prefer to learn more about the ‘process’ behind the scenes when they first start in the field. UI and UX offer tremendous visual design opportunities to the technically savvy, incorporating designers’ skills to make it easier for consumers to engage with a product.
Conclusion
So, let’s go through everything again. Graphic design is a rewarding career path that allows you to have fun, feel fulfilled, and earn a good living. It’s also a highly sought-after profession! Of course, not everyone can do it, but if you have an eye for aesthetics, a curiosity about the world, the ability to connect with people, and the desire to devote to a lifetime of study, it may be the vocation for you.
If that’s the case, you’re in for a plethora of possibilities. You may work in industries concerning video games, merchandise production, mural painting, book, or any of a slew of other interesting and rewarding pursuits. You can also work in marketing or teach in universities; you might wind up as a freelancer or a CEO, but wherever your destination is, it’ll be because you choose to follow your passion.
