Students seeking a career in a creative field of art, computers and problem solving may be well advised to consider a graphic design degree. Graphic design may be thought of as problem solving using visual elements which may include text, to create an attention grabbing impression that’s pleasing to the eye and also functions as visual communication. These impressions may be applied to printed media such as brochures, magazines, posters or business cards. A graphic designer’s work may also be featured in multimedia projects including websites, DVD interactivity elements, Flash animation and Powerpoint presentations.
Graduates with their graphic design degree may find employment as in-house graphic designers in companies that aren’t dedicated to design itself. In these cases, a “jack of all trades” approach may be called for, creating a variety of images for websites, brochures, in-house publications or posters for upcoming company events.
A graphic design degree may also lead to more focused work in visual media. There are positions working full-time under art directors or creative directors as part of teams producing artwork displayed on billboards, websites, magazines, TV or consumer product packaging. The directors of these teams coordinate the collective work, seeing to it that deadlines are met and clients are satisfied with the results. Most of the director’s time is spent with supervisory and administrative work.
Designers interested in a slant toward the film industry may choose a path toward a Multimedia Designer position. This career requires the ability to produce sketches, scale models and plans for review by a director or production manager. It may also entail the design of props, sets and costumes. While a graphic design degree supports this career, competitive graduates will probably have specific training in other multimedia courses as well.
Those students seeking a somewhat more traditional line of work may consider studying toward a layout artist position. This career deals with structure and layout of images and text in a pleasing format for printed media. The tools of the trade have evolved in recent years, with software such as QuarkXPress, Adobe Pagemaker and Adobe InDesign being favored by many pros for layouts, while Adobe Illustrator, Macromedia Freehand and Photoshop have become popular choices for vector programs. Layout artists may be employed by advertising agencies, magazines, newspapers, P.R. firms, and manufacturers. There’s also a demand for freelance layout artists.
Westwood College in Denver, Colorado offers an Associate of Science degree in Graphic Design and Multimedia. Westwood students acquire skills in both print and multimedia environments. This school’s combination of technical and general education courses helps students develop skills in critical thinking, logic, communication and problem solving.
An interesting online degree is offered by Capella University. Their Bachelor of Science in Information Technology Graphics and Multimedia allows a student to supplement an Associate Degree or prior college coursework by submitting previous industry certification and relevant IT work experience for college credit. This is quite unique for an online program.
Graphic design is an exciting career, presenting the challenge of working with cutting-edge technology and personal creativity to solve visual problems. Achieving a graphic design degree is an excellent step toward this artistic vocation. |
