Monday, June 29, 2009

Graphic Design Jobs & Careers

Career Center - by Get Degrees Staff

Recommended Graphic Design Schools

	The Art Institute of Pittsburgh - Online Division Develop your creative potential through The Art Institute of Pittsburgh - Online Division where we give you the freedom to decide when and where to attend class. Because you're always on the go, we offer education to go wherever you connect to the Internet. While we meet the demands of your busy lifestyle, our online degree and diploma programs go even further by embracing the standards of excellence long held by The Art Institute of Pittsburgh and The Art Institutes system of schools backed by an over 85-year commitment to academic excellence. Learn from the leader in online creative arts education.
	The Art Institutes Have you imagined yourself in a school where creativity is nourished and stimulated? Students like you who are interested in design schools belong at The Art Institutes system of schools. We recognize your passion and provide you with the education you'll need to bring your vision to life. The Art Institutes system of schools stands out among other design schools because we are dedicated to your success. We offer associate's, bachelor's, and master's degree programs, as well as diploma and certificate programs.
	International Academy of Design & Technology Online Since 1984, the International Academy of Design and Technology in Tampa has been a creative haven for students wishing to pursue career-focused degree programs in a broad range of fields, including Fashion Design and Marketing, Fashion Merchandising, Interior Design, Digital Photography, Digital Production, Computer Animation, Recording Arts, and many others. The Academy has experienced rapid growth and in 2005 moved its primary facility to a sleekly modern, technologically advanced campus.

Rather than doodling all day without getting a dime, you could be putting that creativity to work in graphic design degree program. While graphic design is quite a bit more complex and challenging than simple sketching, it’s one career path that lets your imagination shine. Learn more about this diverse field, degree requirements, and graphic design careers.

Graphic Design Jobs & Careers

Graphic designers work across the entire creative spectrum, creating visual presentations for corporations, non-profit organizations, and government agencies that routinely serve the arts, entertainment, news, healthcare, education, and marketing audiences. Jobs within the industries are almost as varied as the many organizations that require well-trained, imaginative designers. If you love creating visual masterpieces–and want to be paid for your imagination–consider enrolling in a graphic design degree program.

Graduates of graphic design degree programs find themselves in all sorts of jobs, including:

• Animation Artist
• Art Director
• Book Designer
• Brand Identity Designer
• Creative Director
• Desktop Publisher
• Exhibition Designer
• Film or Television Titles or Animation
• Flash Designer
• Illustrator
• Layout Artist
• Logo Designer
• Magazine Designer
• Medical Illustrator
• Multimedia Designer
• Newspaper Designer/Artist
• Photo Editor
• Pre-press Technician
• Stationery, Business Card Designer
• Storyboard Artist
• Technical Illustrator
• Typographer
• Video Designer or Animator
• Web Designer

Careers for Graphic Design Degree Holders

Graphic designers, artists, animators, and illustrators find satisfying careers in private business, taking positions with advertising and public relation agencies, print publishers, online media corporations, television and film companies, graphics design firms and boutiques, and with corporate internal marketing departments. You’ll also find jobs with government agencies, non-profit organizations, colleges and schools, and museums.

You might work as a touch-up artist, rendering photographs for print or online publications using state-of-the-art editing software. You could find yourself designing a corporate logo for use on Web sites, for business cards, or in mass media. As an illustrator, you might create illustrations for use in a medical textbook or dramatic visuals for use on a highway billboard. You might even end up creating the design for a major Web site and contributing animations for use by advertisers.

Wide Curriculum, Wide Career Options

Depending on your school and your graphic design school program requirements, curriculum might include classes on:

• Typography
• History of graphic design
• Illustration (both manual and computer-aided)
• Graphics/photo/Web design software
• Flash animation
• Desktop publishing software
• Logo and package design
• Vector graphics
• 2D and 3D design and animation
• Aesthetics
• Advertising design and theory
• Art history
• Color theory

For those who want to specialize in Web design, consider coursework in html, WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) editors, Flash, content architecture, search engine optimization, design concepts, accessibility, and cascading style sheets.

During your graphics design degree program you’ll have the opportunity to create a portfolio or digital reel of your work, which you use to show prospective employers your range of work and accomplishments. Many students take internships with companies in their chosen specialty field to gather experience and make invaluable contacts within the profession. Some internships become full-time jobs.

The U.S. Department of Labor reports that a quarter of all graphic artists are self-employed professionals who work as independent contractors. Many who hold jobs with companies also have a number of freelance clients to increase their earnings. Over the next decade, the Department of Labor says, graphic artists who combine their design training with Web site and animation experience should have the greatest number of career opportunities.

Woodrow Aames
Woodrow Aames has written articles and profiles for Yahoo, Microsoft Network, Microsoft Encarta, and other websites and print magazines around the world. He holds an MFA degree and has taught English abroad.