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Graphic Designers

Also called: Graphic Designer, Graphic Artist, Designer, Creative Director

What they do:
Design or create graphics to meet specific commercial or promotional needs, such as packaging, displays, or logos. May use a variety of mediums to achieve artistic or decorative effects.
On the job, you would:
  • Create designs, concepts, and sample layouts based on knowledge of layout principles and esthetic design concepts.
  • Determine size and arrangement of illustrative material and copy, and select style and size of type.
  • Confer with clients to discuss and determine layout design.

Knowledge

Engineering and Technology
  • design
  • computers and electronics
Communications
  • multimedia
Arts and Humanities
  • English language
  • music, dance, visual arts, drama, or sculpture
Business
  • sales and marketing

Skills

Basic Skills
  • listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions
  • talking to others
Problem Solving
  • noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it

Abilities

Verbal
  • read and understand what is written
  • communicate by writing
Ideas and Logic
  • create new and original ideas
  • come up with lots of ideas

Personality

People interested in this work like activities that include
creating, designing, and making your own rules.
They do well at jobs that need:
  • Attention to Detail
  • Innovation
  • Dependability
  • Adaptability/Flexibility
  • Stress Tolerance
  • Initiative

Technology

You might use software like this on the job:

Web platform development software
  • Adobe Systems Adobe ColdFusion
  • Cascading Style Sheets CSS
Graphics or photo imaging software
  • Adobe Systems Adobe After Effects
  • Adobe Systems Adobe FreeHand
Desktop publishing software
  • Adobe Systems Adobe FrameMaker
  • Adobe Systems Adobe InDesign

Education

Education: (rated 4 of 5)
bachelor's degree or
associate's degree
usually needed

Get started on your career:

Find Training Find Certifications Registered Apprenticeship

Job Outlook

Bright Outlook
New job opportunities are very likely in the future.
Salary
$44,010
per year, on average
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Explore More

See more details at O*NET OnLine about graphic designers.