Hurst 1

Shamir Hurst

Mr. Phillips

English 3

3 May 2019

Graphic Design - Professional Creative Outlet

Being a Graphic Designer is one of the most versatile, and modern careers of

this generation. The interest for Graphic Designers is substantial, and advancement of

Graphic Designers, has grew as a whole. Graphic Designers are influential in the sense

that they create almost everything you see; Clothing brands, food logos, and the cover

art for your favorite superhero movie, to name a few. A Graphic designer is a reliable

career path because it pays generously, is expressive and creative, and is a relevant

and important career to the 21st Century by helping build other careers+.

It is important that you know what Graphic designers do or what they even are.

According to the Art Career Project, Graphic Design is “Founded on 5 design

principles-balance, hierarchy, contrast, repetition and alignment”. The BLS says that the

general idea of Graphic Designers is that they attract consumers with visual concepts

made by hand or digitally. Learning these values before becoming a professional, along

with other artistic ability is required to become to start the Graphic Designer career.

In artistic field it's always a prerequisite to already have some artistic ability and

interest. According to the BLS, starting off as early as high school is advisable. High

schoolers should start with the available art and technology classes, so that they may

be able to demonstrate their skills in a college or university. For my school, this could
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mean classes such ass digital design and animation, digital media, or any other visual

arts. After taking these classes, and acquiring skills, this early experience in Graphic

Design can translate to a college or university setting.

After college, although you can get a internship for a company that does graphic

design, a career is not possible. The Art Career Project says that there is a requirement

beyond a prerequisite of education and experience in high school. Formal schooling like

colleges and universities or online schooling for a degree is required to be a graphic

designer, along with already established creativity and artistic ability. Being mandatory

to attend a college or university the choices can be intricate and difficult. Thankfully the

specific colleges available ease this process of decision

When it comes to choosing a college in school the path of a Graphic Designer,

you have plenty of options to choose from. For this career, it is ideal to shoot for a

bachelors or a masters degree. The Art Career Project says “the National Association of

Schools of Art and Design currently list 300 accredited colleges, universities, and

private institutes across the US”. That’s 300 colleges available for you to receive your

Bachelors in science or a Bachelors in art, or a Masters in Arts or a Masters in Fine

Arts. Attending a school and getting any of these degrees can bolster you to the next

level of graphic design: a career.

After formal schooling has finished, your a skilled artist with a degree, it’s

important that you get eased into the Graphic Design career. The Miami Arts & Design

Education (MADE) website believes in taking a Entry level Graphic Designer career

path. It’s a good idea to get experience after school on a beginner level. I’ve seen a
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great example of one of these careers; a personal artist that makes income via making

individual art pieces, such as portraits or specific designs for clients. They make perfect

use of Social Media to advertise their works, and such social media is such a influential

tool in the 21st century, this makes even a beginner, independent artist viable for a

career. But after a beginner career what other career could be possible for a beginner

graphic designer trying to reach a higher level of a career?

There are many different careers forbeing a Graphic designer. A popular choice

according to The MADE website is a Game Designer. They say that “Video Games and

Online Games have exploded in popularity” . This make this a very prosperous career

for someone to engage in. But there are other choices available if video games don’t

suit your interests. MADE suggest the Art Director career path. Overall designs such as

themes for products, advertisements, marketing campaigns and other projects are

made by Art Directors. Another possible career is a Web Designers. These people are

responsible for maintaining and developing websites. This is important because in the

21st century, the internet has use every minute, with billions of users everyday. Along

with varieting branches of other careers, Graphic Design has its own perks that make it

reliable.

The way Graphic Designers work allow for them to make good pay, work with

whoever they please, and have a flexible schedule. The BLS describes how they work,

saying, “ Although Many Graphic Designers work independently, those who work for a

specialized graphic design firms are often apart of a design team”. This shows that as a

Graphic Designer you have choices on who you work with, or lack thereof. The work
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schedule for Graphic Designers are also favorable according to the BLS. A graphic

designers schedule can vary depending on work, but those who are self employed can

adjust for clients, and find time to look for new projects and contracts to take up. This

means that the work life of a Graphic Designer allows for efficient work, and time to

improve upon created works or gain new avenues to work with. The BLS says the pay

of graphic designers are good too. The median wage is $50,370, but 50% of graphic

designers make more, with the bottom 10% of workers earning below $29,610, and the

top 10% making more than $85,760. This generous pay adds onto the reliability of this

career path, which comes to my conclusion.

This Career allows many different pathways and is overall a broad career choice.

It rewards those of creativity, and those who put in the work to become any type of

graphic designers they please. The median pay salary is generous and is sustainable,

and the hours that you have are flexible. When I see the opportunities that this career

can offer, I feel like i would be interested in this career. In conclusion, being a Graphic

Designer is a rewarding, flexible, and most importantly a reliable career path.