Career Profile: Graphic Designer
Graphic design is creating and designing logos, websites, layouts and brochures for consumers. As a graphic designer, you will be obligated to use design software on computers in order to produce the designs. They use text, fonts, pictures, symbols, and graphics to create designs that are fit for the audience they are trying to reach, and the company they may work for.
To become a successful graphic designer, some important skills to have include a great knowledge and understanding of technology, creativity, and typography. Graphic design is a part of many industries including publishing, advertising , and of course, arts and design, just to name a few. As with most jobs in the arts industry, there is a high chance for advancement. As a graphic designer in Canada, you typically start out with a salary of $40,000 per year or lower, depending on what company or job you take. However, the payment increases as your job title advances. Keep in mind that you can also work as a freelance Graphic Designer in which you can make your own hours and choose your own projects to work on. This may be more challenging than your typical 9am-5pm job, but the rewards can be plenty. If you work for a company and you become an art director, your pay would range from $77,000-$132,000 per year.
As our economy becomes more technological, there is a growing need for graphic designers. More companies are using websites, logos, and media to promote their businesses, and therefore need graphic designers to be able to do so. In order to become a graphic designer, you are required to have either a college or university bachelor degree in graphic design. In Canada alone, there are numerous programs that are great for design including some excellent programs located at OCAD University, George Brown College and Vancouver College of Art and Design.
Along with the chance for advancement within the career, a couple pros of becoming a graphic designer is the ability to express your creativity and being able to freelance. Another pro is that graphic designers can normally work the standard 40 per week. If they are working in a corporate office, these hours are usually from 9:00am-5:00pm. This is not always true for all companies and freelance jobs, however. Despite the large amount of pros, there is one prolonged con that many freelance graphic designers face; instability. A large amount of freelance graphic designers struggle to find clients and business, and therefore lack payment. Overall, graphic design is a job with average pay, lots of area for growth, and great benefits.
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