Graphic design is the definition of a modern art form, but it has been around for centuries. Companies use graphic design to communicate with the consumer by using computer softwares to create captivating imagery that stands out. Some of the most common applications for graphic design are advertisements, product packaging, magazine layouts, flyers, brochures, and more. The artistic aspect of graphic design is what drew my mom, CiCi Askari, to become a graphic designer in 1995.
When my mom was just 21 years old, she began her journey towards becoming a graphic designer. Back then, it was not as difficult to get involved in a career of graphic design without schooling. My mom had been a hair stylist since she graduated from high school while she was attending college, but she was doing freelance graphic design for a few years on her own. She only took one class in graphic design in college. Nowadays, things are much different. In most cases, in order to get a job as a graphic designer, it is required to have obtained a bachelor’s degree in graphic design and have created a portfolio with various original and creative designs.
Some of the best schools today are as follows: Rhode Island School of Design, Parsons School of Design, and The Pratt Institute. In addition to building a portfolio and at least a year of a class in design, internships and hands-on experience is ideal. Aspiring graphic designers must also do internships to gain more hands-on experience and work with current and experienced graphic designers to experience and learn about the process of making a design. When searching for a job, it is very important to have had actual experience working with someone in the industry.
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My mom loves the art aspect of graphic design more than anything. She began by experimenting with simple designs on Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop. She then began to think of logos and page layouts. At the time that her interest in graphic design was sparked, she had been working for a prestigious hair stylist in San Francisco and teaching aspiring hair stylists who attended their classes. My mom had been designing the flyers for his shows and some of the packaging for his shears. While doing a show, my mom was approached by the owner of one of the most used shears by professional hair stylists who had seen her designs. At this point, she decided to pursue a career in graphic design. Although she had been designing for several years already at this point, she decided to attend a course in graphic design at the Community College of San Francisco.
A graphic designer needs to be a good communicator, observant, passionate, open to new ideas, and ready to take criticism. One must also be patient and a good problem solver, as it takes many tries to get a design just right. Patience is essential, as the most effective and successful designs tend to take a couple of weeks to create, in order to do the amount of research required and taking into account trial and errors. The median wage in the recent years has been $48,700. This is a career choice that will always be relevant and necessary in society, as any business that needs marketing needs a graphic designer. This means that there are always opportunities for work. In addition, there are many freelance opportunities, especially online, making it easy to work from home. Additionally, due to advancements in technology, the demand for graphic designers in this industry have increased, but it is important for graphic designers to keep up with the latest trends in technology.
On the other hand, while there are many positive aspects to a career in graphic design, there are some negatives. Although you are expressing creativity to a certain extent, many businesses already have their own ideas and will not let you express your vision. This can be frustrating for those focused on the artistic aspect of the career. Luckily, this was not the case for my mom when she began her career. The people who hired her had already seen her designs and recruited her because they had already liked her personal style. They were drawn to her originality and respected her creativity and originality. But unfortunately, nowadays businesses are less and less likely to hire an outside graphic designer every year.
This is because with more and more interns becoming available and there being cheaper options, it is easy for businesses to pass up on an actual professional and choose to create their own designs. Although graphic design employment is growing at a slow rate, graphic designers will always be necessary for business marketing. However, in some industries (such as paper publishers), graphic design employment will be drastically decreasing while in digital graphic design (such as websites and online advertisements), employment will increase at almost the same rate.
