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Graphic Design
Graphic designers are typically the types of people who love to problem-solve and to make stuff. Obsessed with the tactile, they usually have a collection of books, papers, and markers on hand, but hardly shy away from technology that helps them realize their client’s communication. Many graphic designers are self-identified artists first. Most design students begin as generalists, working in print, web, and video, and find their way—on purpose or by accident—into specializations.
Design Specializations
- Packaging Designer
- Editorial Designer / Publications Designer
- Environmental Designer
- Book Designer
- Type Design
- Advertising Designer
- Trademark/Logo/Brand/Identity Designer
- Corporate/Annual Reports
- Audio/Visual Packaging
- Motion Graphics
Locations for work:
- Studio or Consultancy
- Advertising Agency
- Publishing house, media: Newspaper, periodical, book, and directory publishers
- Web development firm: May specialize in one area: advertising; e-commerce; educational sites, etc
- In-house Design or Marketing Department
- Your house or an office you rent/own as a Freelance/Solo Designer
Web Design + Development
a.k.a. interactive design
Some design students find that their passions lie in designing for technology. They usually get just as excited trying to figure our how to build a site, as they do making it function properly and look great. Students who get really involved in back-end coding and programming, may want to take additional courses in these areas. Designers who can create beautiful sites that function seamlessly are highly sought after.
Areas of specialization
- Web Designer / Web Developer (front-end interface)
- Web Programmer/Developer (back-end systems)
- Content Manager
- Content Developer
- Flash Developer
- Information Architect
- Interactive Production Artist
- Multimedia Designer
- Interactive Designer
- Web Producer
- Webmaster
- E-commerce Site Developer
Locations for work:
- Web Studio or Consultancy
- Advertising Agency that creates advertising for the web
- Newspaper, periodical, book, and directory publishers with online publications
- Web development firm: May specialize in one area: advertising; e-commerce; educational sites, etc
- In-house Design or Marketing Department
- Your house or an office you rent/own as a Freelance/Solo Web Designer
Motion Graphics
Motion graphics introduces the elements of motion, sound, and time into their work. Professional motion graphic designers use animation and video technology to create moving images and typography for big and small screens.
Areas of specialization
- Broadcast Designer / Motion Designer
- New Media Specialist
- Animator (2D or 3D)
- Effects Editor / Special Effects Artist
- VFX / Visual Effects Artists
- Motion Designer
- Creative Editor
- Character Animator
Locations for work:
Advertising Agencies or Design firms that do web-based or broadcast motion design or animation.
- Video Post-Production Company
- Commercial Production Company
- Video Production Company
- Web-based Video Production Co.
- Video Effects Company
- Animation Company
- Film or TV Production Companies
- Gaming Industry
Software Skills
3D Max/Maya/After Effects/ Cinema 4D /Avid / Final Cut
Resource
http://motionographer.com
Photography
Those who have an excellent eye for composition, and a desire to produce their own images, may choose photography as a mechanism for creating powerful pictures. Careers in photography are highly competitive, and more than half of all photographers are self-employed, a much higher proportion than for most occupations. Students who wish to make a living as a photographer may want to take courses in business management and marketing.
Areas of specialization
- Portrait
- Commercial (studio or location)
- Industrial
- Scientific
- News/Journalistic
- Fine Arts
- Freelancer or Staff Photographer
- Digital Imaging Specialists (pre-press)
- Photographic Process Workers
- Processing Machine Operators (Ritz, Wolf, etc.)
Print Production & Pre-press
Almost every piece of printed matter you come across—from a billboard in Times Square to the hang-tag that was on your favorite pair of jeans— is the result of a custom manufacturing process: printing. Designers design these items, but it takes a variety of skilled technical people to produce them with accuracy. Individuals in pre-press and production work with other designer’s files and prepare them for print manufacturing.
Digital Artist
- Pre-Press Operator / Prepress Specialist
- Production Artist
- Print Production Artist / Manager
- Digital Imaging Specialist
- Mac Operator
Publishing
In large publishing houses (think novels and newspapers), there is a need for skilled designers to create pages, flow text, and follow the typographic rules.
Areas of specialization
- Typesetter
- Desktop Publisher
- Layout Artist
Related Communications & Design Management Careers
If you’re the type of person who finds they prefer to manage projects than to execute them, you may be interested in working in some design or production management capacity.
These related careers may or may not require additional formal training/education:
Make sure things happen when and how they’re supposed to. These roles exist in medium to large agencies and firms and printing, production, or publishing companies.
- Production Coordinator
- Production Director
- Production Manager
- Traffic/ Traffic Manager
- Project Manager
Drum-up new business. These roles exist in medium to large agencies and firms and printing, production, or publishing companies.
These may exist in medium to large sized organizations of all types.
- Marketing Manager
- New Business Manager
Manage clients/accounts in medium or large firms or agencies, printing, production, or publishing companies. They are the go-betweens between the client and the designers.
- Account Executive
- Account Services
- Customer Service
- Sales Associate
- Client Services
Control the public face of a company. Oversee and manage marketing, pr, and/or promotions at any size organization. These can be leadership positions where one manages a team of designers, copywriters, etc or individuals who lead the marketing efforts and contract out design services.
- Advertising Manager
- Marketing Manager
- Promotions Manager
- Public Relations Manager
Be a freelance or in-house writer working in the communications design field. Excellent writing skills are a must.
- Copywriter: generally the creative types!
- Copyeditor: generally the grammar types!
Additional Design Fields
Additional design fields that (typically) require specialized experience and/or formal education/training include:
- Industrial Design
- Product Design
- Fashion Design
- Interior Design
- Type Design
- Game Design
- Landscape Design
- Textile Design
- AutoCAD, Drafting
- Design Professor
Related Technology Careers
Additional technology fields that (typically) require specialized experience and/or formal education/training include:
- Web Programmer
- Computer Service Tech
- Network Administrator
- Gaming Programmer
Related Art Careers
Additional technology fields that (typically) require specialized experience and/or formal education/training include:
- Illustration
- Medical/Scientific Illustration
- Art Education (K-12)
- Art Therapy
- Architecture
- Museum Curator
- Gallery Director
- Art Historian
- Conservationist
- Filmmaker
- Craft Artist
- Fine Artist
- Cartoonist
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