School and Career Surprises: Tips From People on the Job
Each comment from a graphic designer includes their career and school ratings.
Career: "The lack of longevity of a job and the need to constantly switch companies to stay on top."
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Career: "I was surprised at how fast paced this industry is. I talk to many different people throughout the day and everything is extremely quick thanks to technology."
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Career: "I was surprised with how hard it is to freelance. In college they make it seem like so many jobs are available but it's hard out there."
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Career: "I am surprised by the number of clients that use websites such as 99designs. These sites provide cheap but generic looking designs. It's important to educate individuals and business owners the importance of good branding."
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Career: "I was surprised to learn that as a graphic designer you rarely make art, but work that pleases your client. It was disappointing to realize most projects will not be exciting but will pay the bills."
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Career: "I was surprised to find that being a graphic designer also requires that you have very good interpersonal skills. As a graphic designer, you have to work and collaborate with clients to make sure you are creating exactly the look and design that they want."
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Career: "I am able to freelance and work from home while raising my 4 children. I am able to use my creativity effectively."
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Career: "What surprised me most is how clients are more important than the artist. At first it made me want to leave the career. However, I have found a way to infuse art with what the client wants."
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Career: "What surprised me about my profession is the lack of Need in this field. Jobs can only appear in a rare basis. For students, I suggest to either take being a Graphic Artist in full sail or not at all because you need to have well-rounded skills to meet demands. I was surprised that being a Graphic Artist requires a lot of patience. Potential customers will often be cynical and doubt your skills. What's surprising about my work is that I can just about do it from anywhere if I have a laptop. It is a pretty portable job."
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Career: "I am surprised at how well you need to understand photography to be a graphic designer. You never think about that aspect of the job. It can be beneficial to manipulate your own photographs, so you should understand the techniques in order to take decent quality photos."
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Career: "I was surprised at how many different opportunities are available while working in this field. I can work for non profit organizations which I do now, I can work for ad agencies, printing shops, sports marketing, music or just freelance. I am also surprised at how quickly I realized that working for other people isn't my thing and instead I'd like to start my own business and run things my way."
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Career: "I was surprised at the one-to-one interpersonal skills I have had to develop in the field of web design. Whereas the college course taught me all about the subject and all the physical skills I required in order to create sites themselves, nothing prepared me for the process of having to deal with customers themselves and communicate exactly how we could achieve what they required from website design. I have to be able to decipher exactly what they are telling me what they need, translate that into code and then explain it to them in plain English again."
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School: "How much it lacked teaching to learn the job and skills I would need. I feel like my Associates degree is more like a vocational school certificate."
Career: "The amount of work needed to get the job done. Sometimes the clients are asking a lot with a very short deadline."
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School: "I was surprised to find out how little Fashion Institute of Technology prepared me for real life-career-search outside of college. I was extremely satisfied with my academics, social life and the technical skills provided by the Fashion Institute of Technology. However, there was a lack of courses and preparation as far as career search, resume writing and skills necessary for an effective job search upon graduation."
Career: "In my field I was surprised to find out that being an artist doesn't only require good technical skills and creativity but great communication skills as well. You have to be sort of a psychologist, extremely keen and attentive to the feelings of your client and their wishes. My profession also requires a great amount of patience, superb negotiation skills and ability to compromise and stay in tune with my client's vision when executing a project. I spend a great deal of time negotiating project details and specs with my clients and much of my work depends on smooth interpersonal communication."
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School: "The Art Institute of Los Angeles has a great graphic design program. The computer equipment is top of the line, and the instructors are very helpful. They even have a video games program that shows you how to animate, sculpt, and texture characters."
Career: "I would say to any aspiring graphic design artists out there is to learn your craft. There are extensive drawing classes you have to pass in order to become certified. Also, it's a good idea if you don't try to work a job and go to school at the same time. Your grades are bound to suffer."
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School: "CSULB surprised me by challenging the expected norms of graphic design and encouraging me to be experimental in designing."
Career: "The environment is much less fast paced than I expected it to be. Much more of the time is spent researching than creating designs than I expected."
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School: "I was surprised at how behind in certain programs Pratt is in comparison to other colleges as far as resources."
Career: "I was surprised how much attitude influences your commitment to the job and how others respond to you based on your attitude, especially when things get intense."
+/-Best & Worst Things About This Career
As reported by people currently doing the job
"The best part of being a Freelance Graphic Designer is being able to be your own boss. You have creative freedom over your thought process and your work direction. However, you have to understand that sometimes your vision will not match your client's vision or needs and you have to compromise. Also, as a freelance graphic designer you will have to be proactive about finding work and understanding legal and financial contracts and obligations. You will not have a boss telling you when something is due. You have to make sure your bills are paid, your clients are happy, and you have done everything necessary, both financially and legally."
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"The best thing I enjoy about my job is the flexibility in schedule. I'm able work from home, but occasionally I'll take a day off to enjoy lunch with a friend, or go to a doctors appointment, or get groceries for the home. The worst thing would be the occasional loneliness that comes from working by myself all day. To combat that, I like to meet up with former classmates occasionally. Also, because I'm my own boss, I need to make sure I stay on task to get things done."
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"The worst part of my job is dealing with clients who undervalue my abilities because they don't think illustration is work. They get this idea because they think it's easy due to an artist's natural abilities or the enjoyment of their career. The best part of my job is that it's incredible to make a living at doing something you love and no two assignments are ever the same."
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"The best part of the job is the ability to tap into my creativity and generate business for my clients. I love to see how their businesses are able to grow with my help. It can be difficult, however, to work on projects where I don't agree with the decisions of the client - particularly when their design aesthetics don't reflect mine, or when their decisions are driven by personal opinion and not user opinion."
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"The best part of my career is that I get to create things that look beautiful while helping the community. I also get chances to win awards (I have won 2 Emmys and 6 PROMAX awards) and become a valued employee in my company. However, one of the downsides is that I can be stuck on a project that needs to be done quickly and cheaply, and this means that I do not have the time to put in my best work."
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"The best part of my job is that I get to be creative. I design in Creative Suite using both Indesign and Photoshop. Both programs are fun to use and help you to be very creative. The worst part of my job is when we get very busy. Sometimes I have to design many pieces at the same time. It is difficult to come up with multiple ideas that are fresh and interesting. Sometimes it is challenging to know all the aspects of each program. You must always educate yourself."
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"The best part of my career is the relaxed working environment. No suits or ties or business attire are required at my location. This helps to reduce stress and I believe helps promote creativity within my daily performance. The worst part of my career is that the entry level salary is a little low. If you put in the time and effort and make sure to network with others, there is plenty of room to advance and gain more income and knowledge along the way."
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"The best parts lie in acknowledgment of successfully completing a project. I love engaging a person with something I created. The worst part is the downtime boredom and the strain on my body from sitting at a desk. My eyes are constantly tired. My back gets kinked up. Deadlines and misunderstandings are also a pretty big thing. They can really add unneeded stress to a day."
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"The best part of my job is creativity. Every job is different in many ways. One day I may be working on a mail order catalog for coffee items, and the next I may be working on trade booth materials for a software company. Sometimes my creativity is limited by the client who already has vision while other clients give me no boundaries. The worst part of my job may be the very strict deadlines on some projects. Very often a client does not realize the time that goes into a project and needs something within a week a two, which is possible if all things go well, but more often than not the client changes their view mid-way through the job requiring many more hours on my part."
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"The worst part is people don't always accurately proof the document and sometimes provide wrong information. In order to maintain the business, we usually have to take responsibility for the mistake which often is discovered after the job is processed. The best part is that the jobs are usually done right, delivered and paid. We are always proud of the work and finished product or it doesn't go out the door. Owning the business gives us control over that."
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"The best part of my job is designing something for a client that is original and personal, suited just for his or her company or goal. I love "creating something out of nothing". The worst part of my job is the billing, selling and accounting portion of owning your own business. This takes time away from designing, illustrating, photo manipulating and copy writing which is what designers really went into business for in the first place."
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"The best thing about my job is getting to work in sports publishing while retaining a normal 8AM to 5PM schedule. When I worked in the sports department of a daily newspaper, I worked late into the night and didn't have much of a life outside of work. This schedule is much better for someone who now has a family and small children, The worst part is I no longer get to do the writing and editing I used to do at my previous jobs. While I still get to do some of that, I don't do nearly as much and I miss it."
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"The best part of my job is using my creativity in a lot of different ways in different media and a variety of projects: anything from a web site re-design to creating custom graphics for a big trade show. The worst is that sometimes you're stuck in your own ways and you need to push yourself hard to come up with an innovative solution. It can be very frustrating. But in the end, if you pull it off, it can be very rewarding as well."
+/-Tips for Succeeding in This Career
Helpful info from insiders
"Make sure that you absorb all the graphic design courses that you can. It also might be helpful to take photography and web design classes as well. You would be amazed at how often those things overlap. A graphic designer who can also be a photographer or a web designer is invaluable and you open yourself up for a lot more job opportunities. It's also important to be good at proof reading. Lastly, make sure that if you become a freelancer, that you understand business objectives, laws, and regulations. You need to be good at handling money, understanding the law, and planning for future endeavors. Design jobs don't fall in your lap. You have to go out and find them."
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"Make sure you have the proper software: save up to buy the Adobe Creative Suite, it will have everything you need. Carry a sketchbook wherever you go. An idea can come at you at any moment, and it would be nice to be able to jot it down. Read books on graphic design and designers. Learn the "rules" of graphic design. Never let anyone tell you no! Take classes. VCU has one of the best graphic design programs out there, and I feel like I learned so much more than I would have if I just started right out after high school."
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"Never stop drawing. As with most things you can get out of practice. Learn from artists who came before you. The masters have worked out all the same problems you'll ever come across. Don't get discouraged or take personal criticism of your artwork personally. Definitely pursue a career in art if you love it, even if some say you'll never make any money. You may not make as much as in some other jobs, but you'll be happy. After all no one ever says, "I wish I couldn't draw.""
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"Build up as much experience in design as you possibly can - through design courses, studying other successfully designed sites, etc. View the source code for sites that you like and see if you can figure out how they coded the site to see how it works. Be sure to learn to code your html and css from scratch. Tools such as Expressions Web and Dreamweaver can be wonderful, but there is no substitute for solid coding skills. Beside your designs, it is what separates the good designers from the great ones."
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"Tip one: Have with you a very killer demo reel. If you are perusing a career in graphics or animation you need to let your potential employer see that you are capable of doing the job that they are hiring for. Put your best work in the reel and only the work that is relevant to the job description. Do not put a clip of a 3D character you animated if the job calls for an illustrator. Tip two: Demonstrate that you are interested in growing and improving the company that you may be working for. Reassure them that you are not just using them as a stepping stone to another company or career and that you genuinely care about the future of the company."
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"I would say the best advice is to have a lot of confidence in your design work. Make sure you listen to the client and give them what they want. Also, staying under budget is very important."
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"I would suggest taking several courses in graphic design. concentrate on software programs such as Adobe InDesign, Adobe Photoshop, and Adobe Illustrator. These programs are used quite frequently in graphic design and in the world of printing. I would also try to get to know the machinery necessary for working in a print shop or copy center such as large printers, PC and Mac platforms, and bindery equipment. Developing skills and knowledge for this equipment will make you stand out when applying for a position early in your career."
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"If you don't have any natural artistic ability, you may want to reconsider this career field. Being a Graphic Designer of any kind is not just about learning the programs. ANYONE can do that. Those are just the tools. Everyone can use a pencil, but not everyone is an artist with that pencil. That being said, it is more important to stay on top of your craft's trends rather than your software's latest update."
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"Begin early with all types of art classes. Computer skills and working knowledge of design programs are a must as all designing is done on a computer today. Having a well rounded portfolio showing all aspects of your artistic ability in both 2D and 3D. Photography is a big part of graphic design and having that background and knowledge is a huge help. As a graphic designer it is your responsibility to have a full understanding of your client's needs, so a not-so-obvious skill is communication and listening."
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"Technology and the internet are taking much of our business away. Many people will lower their standards of quality for a lower price and go with copies instead of offset printing, especially in a poor economy. Also, many large companies are selling over the internet for very low prices. Owning your own business means that you always have to be there and do what the customer wants, if you want to stay in business."
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"Take a work-study job or an internship even if it is non-paying. This will give you experience you cannot get in the classroom environment. I would also recommend taking some accounting courses if you plan on running your own firm. Lastly, if you are even slightly interested in Web work vs. print work, I would recommend taking more courses in HTML, Java script, Dreamweaver and other web-based scripts because a person with three years experience can command the same salary I can as a "print" designer with 20 years experience. I cannot explain this other than to say, corporate America just seems to value web-based skills more than print-based skills."
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"1. Make yourself familiar with all aspects of the business: finances, editing, writing, design and the relevant software. 2. The job requires you to work closely with people who have different agendas. Writers, for example, don't want their stories cut down so you can run a larger photo or make a page more visually appealing. You need to know how to pick your battles and be persuasive and easy to work with. 3. Publishing is a pressure-packed, deadline-driven business. You need to focus on handling the pressure at work and learn how to let it go as you walk out the door each day."
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"Allow your creative self to thrive but also work hard on consistency and developing your own unique style. Be an advocate of your own ideas but don't push them too hard if they don't work for your client. Work with the client to find the right solution. Never think you've done your best work. The best is yet to come."
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