Graphic designer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graphic_designer#searchInput
A
graphic designer (also known as a
graphic artist and
communication designer) is a professional within the
graphic design and
graphic arts industry who assembles together images,
typography or motion graphics to create a piece of design. A graphic designer creates the graphics primarily for
published,
printed or
electronic media, such as
brochures and
advertising. They are also sometimes responsible for
typesetting,
illustration and
web design, or take a teaching position, although these specialties may be assigned to specialists in various
graphic design occupations. A core responsibility of the designer's job is to present information in a way that is both accessible and aesthetic.
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Qualifications
While many graphic designers obtain degrees in college (and occasionally certificates from accredited trade schools) a degree is usually – though not always – considered essential for a graphic design position. After a career history has been established, the graphic designer's experience and number of years in the business are heavily considered as the primary qualifications. A
portfolio, which is the primary method for demonstrating these qualifications, is usually required to be shown at job interviews, and is constantly developed throughout a designer's career.
One can obtain a
AS,
BA,
BFA,
MA or an
MPhil /
PhD in graphic design. Degree programs available vary depending upon the institution, although typical U.S. graphic design jobs require at least some form of
Bachelor's degree.
In terms of skills, a graphic designer should be able to work with multiple software programs, as relevant to his/her job function, such as those in
Adobe Creative Suite products, and, depending on what media the designer is working in, should understand HTML and other programming languages to design websites, and/or should understand the processes involved in printing to be able to produce press-ready artwork.
Career portfolio
The graphic designer's
Career portfolio in the past fifty years was usually a black book or large binder in which samples of the artist's best printed pieces were carried to show prospective clients or employers. Over the past 20 years, portfolios have become increasingly digitized, and may be entirely digitized and available on the Internet, CD, or DVD.
