Creative Careers A Guide to Job Opportunities in Design - CareerAlley

Creative Careers A Guide to Job Opportunities in Design - CareerAlley We may receive compensation when you click on links to products from our partners. Careers in graphic design are in demand right now. The career path of choice for many young graduates, a job in design offers so much. You can work on everything from one-off jobs for local companies, to huge campaigns for multinational businesses. No two days are the same, but every day you get to flex your creative muscles, and really let your imagination run away with you. Well, as much as a client will let you anyway. Different Careers in Design But its not just the diversity and creativity that makes careers in design so sought after. Creative careers offer almost endless job opportunities. Whether youre fresh out of university, or have been creating logos for over 10 years, there is a job in graphic design for you. Here we will look at a few options you need to consider, before entering into a design career: Print vs. Online A job in the creative industry tends to fall into one of two camps: Print or Digital. If youre looking at taking your first steps into graphic design or youre looking for a change in direction you should consider the different directions you can take. More often than not, you will need to be proficient in both areas, but some creatives still choose to specialise. For those looking to pursue a career in print design, you should develop skills in the following areas: Logo design Printed publications (brochures, magazines, etc) Advertising and Promotional Materials (flyers, letterheads, etc) Branding Packaging design If the online scene is more your thing, you dont necessarily need a sound coding knowledge. But what you do need to do is craft web-friendly sites that are both eye catching, user-friendly and functional. In House vs. Freelance When it comes to making your creative career a reality, your next decision is how you choose to work. Will you go it alone as a freelancer? Or would you prefer to join a team, and be part of an agency? There are a whole host of benefits to each option so it really is down to personal preference. As a freelancer, you can be much more flexible with your hours and workload. Though you may have prolonged periods where you have no work at all. As part of an agency, you know the work will always be coming in. Though you dont have the flexibility of working from home, and will often find yourself doing lots of overtime at the office. As an in-house designer though, you have a set wage and always know youll be able to make ends meet. Now, we will take a quick look at the hierarchical structure of the industry: 1. Artworker Artworker positions are the entry-level design jobs. Their role is to produce print-ready copy and can involve everything from typesetting and formatting, to creating simple grid layouts and basic designs. They have a sound knowledge of all the graphic design software such as Photoshop, InDesign and Illustrator. This is often the starting point for many people wanting to grow their career in design. As they gain more experience, artworkers take on more and more responsibility. Creative artworkers are an essential part of any graphic design agency; helping with the mundane tasks, as well as having a real input into work with clients. 2. Middle-Weight Designer Middle-weight designers are exactly that the middle of the proverbial food chain. With a few years creative experience under their belts, mid-level designers have much more freedom than artworkers. They take a much more active role in custom design projects, and liaise fully with clients whether theyre part of a team or a freelancer. A middle-weight designer is expected to have a wealth of experience across a whole host of design projects. They should be comfortable producing everything from flyers and logos, to websites and even mobile apps. 3. Senior Designer You often earn the title of senior designer when you have been working in the industry for six or more years. As the senior designer, you are the voice of reason. You have the most experience, and your opinions carry the most weight. More often than not, the senior level designers have the final say on projects. Getting Your Dream Job Careers in design are extremely contested so you need to stand out. A strong portfolio is key to help you shine in interviews, as well as a wide depth of knowledge. There are some more great tips for getting a graphic design job here. This guide has hopefully shown you that there is a wealth of opportunities for a career in graphic design. So what are you waiting for? more Get your dream job This guest post has been published by graphic design company Superdream. They specialise in all kinds of graphic design. To see for yourself, visit their website: www.superdream.co.uk. This is a Guest post. If you would like to submit a guest post to CareerAlley, please follow these guest post guidelines. Good luck in your search. Visit me on Facebook What's next? Ready to take action? Choose the right tools to help you build your career. Looking for related topics? Find out how to find the opportunities that help you grow your best career. Subscribe and make meaningful progress on your career. It’s about time you focused on your career. Get Educated Contact Us Advertise Copyright 2020 CareerAlley. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy + Disclosure home popular resources subscribe search