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Career Profile: Graphic Artist, Designer and Illustrators Think you have to be a Biologist to work with the outdoors? No way! There are tons of careers out there to chose from. For example, are you creative? Do you like to draw or create things with your computer? If so, you may be interested in becoming a graphic artist, designer or illustrator. What do they do? Almost every product you use from toothpaste to camo has the design of a graphic artist. They create the overall design and packaging for products and publications. Usually a graphic artist will work with other departments to understand the need for the design and then create it. Where do they work? They work at many different places. Some examples are: advertising or design firms, manufacturing facilities, printing and publishing businesses, multimedia production companies and other organizations with communications or advertising needs. Some are even self-employed! |
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needed? First and foremost, creativity and communication
skills are required. You must be able to communicate in all aspects
(writing, visually and verbally). Training in multimedia design
and computer technology is also required. Familiarity with programs
such as Adobe PageMaker, Adobe PhotoShop, Adobe Illustrator, QuarkXPress,
Macromedia Fireworks, Flash, Freehand and/or other graphic design
tools is a must in today’s work force. What type of education is required? You must have a high school diploma. No bachelor’s degree is required, but it is highly recommended as nearly 75% of recent entrants into the trade have an undergraduate degree from a university. The Bachelor of Fine Arts degree is granted at four-year colleges and universities. The National Association of Schools of Art and Design currently recognizes about 200 institutions with programs in art and design; most of these schools award a degree in art. Some educational programs related to Graphic Arts are Graphic and Audio-Visual Arts, Creative and Design Arts, Applied Arts and Computer Science. According to U.S. government statistics, in 2000 graphic designers earned between $26,560 and $45,130 annually. Tips for becoming a graphic artist:
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