9 Reasons to Choose Graphic Design as a Career
Sometimes finding the right way to drive down feels like standing at a spaghetti intersection. There are so many tortuous roads ahead, which one do you choose? Where are they all leading?
When choosing a career, it’s important to find one that allows you to thrive. You don’t need something that just pays the bills, but something that challenges you to solve problems in new ways, no two days are the same.
Graphic design is an incredible career choice for those with a creative vision for the future. By entering an increasingly digital career, you can work from anywhere in the world. With your sought-after graphic design skills, you can choose to find steady employment with multinational organizations, working with local businesses on advertising campaigns, or you can become a freelancer, picking your own clients and working on your own schedule.
Before we detail why graphic design is an incredible career choice, we’ll take a closer look at what it means.
What is graphic design?
According to the American Graphic Arts Association, the role of design is to “improve the visual appearance and function of information and information.”
Specifically, designers “use typography, photographs, illustrations, and graphic elements to build attention-grabbing messages, make us think about their meaning, and stick in our memory over time.”
The institute also highlights the importance of designers in the world of branding, describing them as “expressing corporate identity through the integrated design of brand innovation methods, messages, products and services, thereby differentiating businesses from competitors in the marketplace capabilities and define its relationship with consumers”.
Today, designers are increasingly working in the digital realm. This means that graphic design is appearing on the Internet and in applications. Due to the adoption of technology in graphic design, designs are becoming more and more dynamic.
Graphic designers can work in a variety of locations, and the challenges they face every day mean that a designer’s job is always creative and interesting. They might create advertisements on physical media such as billboards, on the side of buses, or in magazines and newspapers. Designers also design websites and overall brand identities for companies that will be used in all visual communications.
Designer skill set
Graphic designers need to have a keen eye for vision. Good graphic design is eye-catching and visually appealing while conveying information. Through color, graphics, and fonts, meaning can be subtly incorporated into designs, and designers can become fluent in this second language Designers also need to be flexible. Often, you will be working with clients to fulfill their own vision of a brand or ad campaign. Graphic designers provide guidance to clients about the possibilities, but must work within the constraints given by the client.
Additionally, designers need to have technical expertise in the field. They typically use graphic design programs such as Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign. Such applications allow designers to work faster and more efficiently, especially since clients expect the best from the designers they hire.
Finally, graphic design is a role within the creative industries, so your creativity is your greatest asset as a designer. Coming up with new, alluring designs, making and breaking the rules of design to solve the challenges of conveying information in new ways are common parts of a graphic designer’s day-to-day work.
9 Reasons to Choose a Graphic Design Career
There are many reasons why graphic design is a great career choice. Here’s our top nine.
- You get paid for being creative
At the heart of what a graphic designer does is their innovative spirit, and when you become a graphic designer, you apply that every day.
Graphic designers must challenge themselves with deeper creative questions about how information can be expressed in design. You’ll engage in the use of colour, shape and symbols to express the core ideas of whatever activity you’re working on.
As for salary, it all depends on how much experience you have. 99Designs interviewed two different sources — Salary.com and PayScale.com — to get an accurate estimate of what graphic designers earn.
- You have the opportunity to make a difference
When you’re a graphic designer, you can be involved in rewarding work that truly changes the world. You might be involved in a high-impact government ad campaign encouraging people to donate blood or get a flu shot.
Or, you might help local businesses advertise their wares and independent traders find new markets. Regardless, graphic design is an outward-looking profession, and you’ll see tangible results in the real world.
- Work anywhere in the world
The days when graphic designers have only the option of working with physical media are limited. Today, with a good understanding of Photoshop software, a laptop and a sketchpad are all the tools a graphic designer needs to start a business. You’re not tied to a desk or office, leaving you free to explore the world.
In an increasingly digital age, remote work is becoming more popular and accepted by employers. This gives you the opportunity to travel while working, or to set up shop as you please.
The era of the digital nomad designer is upon us – so whether working on a beach in southern Thailand or a bustling coffee shop in the heart of New York sounds like the ideal job for you, graphic design is a career that offers you options.
- You can be your own boss
In the visual and digital world, there will always be a need for graphic designers. By manipulating the medium of corporate communication—graphics—you are an invaluable asset to any organization. While there has always been steady work for designers who want to settle down, more and more graphic designers these days are opting to freelance, giving you ultimate control over your working life.
In some cases, designers even set up their own design agencies. By building your client base, you can turn your design work into your own business, building your own product range, from advertising campaigns to newly designed typefaces. As a graphic designer, the world is in your hands.
- Various opportunities
The world runs on visuals, and nearly every sector and industry needs graphic designers to tell their stories. You could work for multinational brands like Apple, Google or Gucci. Charities rely on graphic designers to engage their audiences and create the necessary funding channels for their outreach programs. You could work for the government, run an information campaign to encourage people to get out and vote, or learn about government administrative systems such as taxes and visas. Many of the world’s largest organizations have their own teams of in-house designers, and they’re always hiring new creative talent.
With a graphic design background, you speak global languages and you can work in a variety of roles. By improving your marketing skills, you can lead ad campaigns for the largest agencies, or by learning to code you can build applications. Design is at the heart of many jobs, and there is never a shortage of new opportunities for graphic designers.
- Go digital
The world is becoming increasingly digital, and with the 2020 global pandemic sweeping the globe, we are spending more time than ever in virtual environments. Graphic designers can take advantage of this digital shift well, as they are well versed in using software to create incredible designs.
Digital design roles are on the rise, and demand for these positions is translating into increasingly lucrative salaries. Harness the digital wave to maximize your income and your freedom to work from anywhere in the world.
- Shaping how people feel and behave
While ad campaigns or app designs are often ephemeral, and a campaign may run for a few months or come back every year at Christmas, what lasts is the impression your work makes on the audience. Graphic design is an art, and the best examples leave a lasting mark on those who witness it.
A career in graphic design gives you the tools to change minds, influence people to donate to charity or change their behavior in important, socially conscious ways. As a graphic designer, your legacy is not just beautiful design, it’s a dramatic change in the way people live.
- Never get bored
When you’re a graphic designer, no two days of work are exactly alike. Working with visual media means that graphic designers bring together elements ranging from typography and abstract graphics to coloring and logos. In any single campaign, you have many creative directions to explore.
What’s more, creativity has huge benefits for your overall health. Creativity has been linked to reducing stress and anxiety, and can even boost your immune system. Turning your passion into a career through graphic design can have wide-ranging benefits for your physical and mental health.
Additionally, graphic designers who choose to freelance can curate their own work to stay creative. You could spend a day designing social media posts for an independent business, then spend another day working with a multinational organization on a long-term brand strategy. By working with a variety of clients in creative ways, you can guarantee that work never becomes a chore.
- Have fun while you work!
By choosing Creative Industries, you’ll be among dynamic people. The graphic design department is full of people who love to explore the world around them and come up with creative solutions to complex problems. Design studios are dynamic and exciting places to work, thanks to their staff.
If wearing a suit and tie every day sounds like a bleak future, a design studio could be the place where you can express yourself. In general, these are wonderful and fulfilling environments to pursue a career in – relaxed dress codes, creatively decorated offices and flexible working models are the norm in design departments. Immerse yourself in a world of creativity that will benefit you and have fun while you work.
How to Become a Graphic Designer
There are several paths to becoming a graphic designer. One option is to pursue a bachelor’s degree in graphic design or communication design at a university or art school, which will demonstrate to employers that you have the skills they need. Through your college career, you’ll learn everything you need to know to be a great designer, from typography to coloring.
However, a degree is not the only way to become a designer. You don’t have to spend a lot of time and money on college courses. Fortunately, there are many free online design courses that can help you start your career as a graphic designer. The following is a shortlist of design course providers:
Skill sharing
Alison
Udemy
Coursera courses
Canvas
Shaw College
Alternatively, you can find coaches online who can show you how to get started with graphic design. Additionally, your instructor can introduce you to the wider community, which includes those wishing to study graphic design, as well as others who are already familiar and can show you around.
If you have design skills and familiarity with programs like Photoshop, you can start contacting organizations to see if you can start getting involved with their events.
No matter how you start, building a portfolio will show potential clients what you’re capable of. Many freelance designers these days use their powerful presence on social media platforms to generate interest in their work.
Ultimately, as you can see, there are many opportunities to start designing.