Tag: Graphic Design Careers

How to Find High-Paying Graphic Design Jobs

Post author By Beverly Lansing
Post date June 10, 2012

Graphic designers are among the highest earning art employees in the country. According to recent reports, graphic design school graduates can earn a median income of $40,000 or more with relatively little work experience. These types of graphic design jobs require a bachelor’s degree, but many schools offer advanced degrees in design as well.

Because graphic designers are in high-demand throughout the country, the best way to earn a high-wage position is to put in a lot of time with a successful design company or to launch a private company. Even so, some experts in the industry state that finding the highest paying graphic design jobs may rely more on location than skill.

According to one report (The Best American Cities for Artists and Designers), there are 25 cities that are prime real estate for those hunting for a graphic design job that pays well. Here are the top 5:

“5. Salt Lake City

Offering better employment conditions than most other large cities, Utah’s biggest city boasts the lowest unemployment rate boosting it right near the top. Many designers are employed here per capita for its growing tech industry. The cost of living in Utah is reasonable and….

4. San Antonio

The second largest city in Texas, San Antonio has one of the most solid salary to cost of living ratios in the country and has seen the lowest change in unemployment rate since the onset of the recession. Its projected job growth is extremely promising and consistently high ……

3. Bridgeport

Bridgeport is a thriving multicultural city located right on the water of Long Island Sound in the southern part of Connecticut. Its great location and proximity to other cities such as New York and Boston make Bridgeport a wonderful city to live ….

2. Newark

Newark, New Jersey is a skip away from New York City, the creative hub of the country. But it is a bargain to live in compared to Manhattan’s cost of living. Newark boasts top pay in the professions of fashion design, graphic design, and art. It has a rich cultural heritage of its own. So if you want to be close to the center of things but can’t quite afford to do it in style, Newark is a great ….

1. Austin

Austin tops our list with robust projected job growth and one of the lowest changes in unemployment rate since the onset of the recession. The city has enjoyed a recent explosion of high-tech entrepreneurism. Animators in Austin are some of the highest paid in the nation. A “best cities” list ….

To read more about these and all 25 cities: The Best American Cities for Artists and Designers

Tags College of Graphic Design, Graphic Design Careers, Graphic Design College, Graphic Design Jobs, Graphic Design School, School of Graphic Design

Articles

Graphic Design School Courses: Getting Technical about Art

Post author By Beverly Lansing
Post date April 29, 2012

Students interested in computer simulated and hand-crafted arts often turn to graphic design colleges to help them break into a career doing what they love. Visual communications majors (including web and graphic design) are taught how to take their natural passion for art and turn it into a lucrative career through instruction on all facets of communications. As a technical term, “visual communications” sounds, well – technical. That’s important because graphic designers must learn to be technical about their art – learning how people respond to a work of art, both emotionally and behaviorally.

The graphic design association, AIGA, does a great job of describing the role of a graphic designer:

Suppose you want to announce or sell something, amuse or persuade someone, explain a complicated system or demonstrate a process. In other words, you have a message you want to communicate. How do you “send” it? You could tell people one by one or broadcast by radio or loudspeaker. That’s verbal communication. But if you use any visual medium at all-if you make a poster; type a letter; create a business logo, a magazine ad, or an album cover; even make a computer printout-you are using a form of visual communication called graphic design. (More from AIGA.)

Well-known graphic design college at the Academy of Art describes the plethora of tasks and technical abilities found in a successful graphic designer these days. Graphic design schools typically offer the same lineup of courses, including:

Typography
Manual Typography
Type Typography
Web typography
Typography History
Poster Typography
Typography Design
Digital Typography
Experimental Typography
Typography Art
Branding
Corporate Branding
Identity
Information design
Print and editorial design
Packaging
Package Design
Logo Design
Cosmetic Package Design
Food Package Design
Product Package Design
Green Strategies
More from Academy of Art

Graphic Design Schools Teach People how to Shape Society’s Perceptions

Graphic designers play a huge role in society. Many successful designers are aware of the impact they have on society. Pierre Bernard of Grapus delivered a speech in the early 1990s about the implications that graphic design work has on the world at large, noting that modern graphic designers (and schools, by proxy) focus on commercial interests. He said:

“Today, the production of visual communications consists essentially of advertising. Visual productions in advertising are hugely sophisticated and articulated in relation to gigantic mass-media networks. They transcend frontiers and cultural divides. Their basic critique has been developed by the Marxist critic John Berger in Ways of Seeing. He demonstrates that “glamour” is a modern invention in terms of images. It is the expression of the pursuit of individual happiness, considered as a universal right.” (Read Bernard’s entire lecture transcript here.)

Tags College of Graphic Design, Graphic Design Careers, Graphic Design College, Graphic Design School, School of Graphic Design

Graphic Design News

Graphic Design School Incorporates Code into Curriculum

Post author By Beverly Lansing
Post date April 27, 2012

As far as technology goes, many graphic design schools stick to the programs that are useful in the realm of visual art. But RI School of Design’s Digital and Media Department is taking the education of future graphic designers to a new level of understanding by teaching them the other side of visual communications: coding for digital media and publication. Coding is something generally left to web developers and designers, but fully understanding this aspect of design is just one more marketable quality for graduates – a skill that may help them beat their competition in the job market.

Providence, RI (PRWEB) April 27, 2012 – Rhode Island School of Design’s Digital + Media Department offers “Visualizing Data: Art + Code”, a new summer course devoted to the emerging art form created by the presentation of data through innovative, elegant and artful design solutions. See the course description.

“Visualizing Data: Art + Code”, taught by Kyuha “Q” Shim and offered as part of RISD’s Summer Studies Art and Design Courses, is a 3-credit course open to any interested student 18 years of age or older. The course, held on the RISD campus in Providence, RI, is a unique opportunity for artists and designers of all backgrounds and mediums to understand code and decrypt data in order to effectively convert information into distinctive visual forms of art and communication.

Without needing to know anything about code prior to taking this course, students learn such digital tools as Arduino, Processing and Pepakura, in order to create works that go beyond standard graphic representation to convey personal expressions. Students examine the work of designers and artists like Ben Fry, Jer Thorp, Catalogtree, LUST, Daniel Shiffman and Ryoji Ikeda, and complete a series of short projects culminating in a final project that… Read the entire press release on PRWeb.

More News on Graphic Design Schools:

Goshen College student artwork up for judging at juried art show

Future Graphic Design Student Accepts Scholarship

Tags College of Graphic Design, Graphic Design Careers, Graphic Design Classes, Graphic Design College, Graphic Design School, graphic design students, School of Graphic Design

Articles

Are You Cut Out for Graphic Design School?

Post author By Beverly Lansing
Post date April 22, 2012

Deciding to go to graphic design school is a great choice – if you do it for the right reasons. The truth is: no matter what you choose to do with your life, you should enjoy what it is that you do. Graphic design is art intensive and requires constant attention to details that most people wouldn’t think about. However, graphic design school is all about those details – from how the slightest change in ambient color can affect the mood of an ad to exactly how many ways you can manipulate a photo with Adobe Photoshop. In short, if you don’t enjoy it – you probably won’t stick to it.

What does it mean to be “cut out” for graphic design school? In an interview with GraphicDesignSchool.com’s Nancy Solomon, successful graphic designer Pon Angara said this about his choice to graduate as an engineer and enroll in college again as a graphic design student:

“I’ve always enjoyed creating art pieces that were visually compelling and packed with meaning. In fact, my formal training in fine arts started during my elementary years. My college degrees are in industrial engineering, industrial design and graphic design. My background in art and science became strong assets in my design work.” – Read the whole interview here.

It’s worth noting that Angara also told Solomon, “The more well-rounded your education is, the better. Design is not just about art. It’s about being able to solve a problem. In the real world, problems have multiple sides.”

Back in 2007, Kristy Pennino penned a humorous article outlining how to know that you aren’t cut out for graphic design school. In nearly all of them, she cites a general lack of interest in the core aspects of the profession. You can read them all at Five Signs You Should Not Major in Graphic Design, but as a preview:

“1. You’d rather be surfing Facebook or playing online games during a lecture or presentation or you can’t stop web surfing during class breaks. Let’s face it, it’s not really the teacher’s lecture that has you so bored because you’re bored out of your mind when doing homework for graphics courses as well …” (Read more.)

So, you’ve decided that graphic design school is right for you. What can you do to make sure you get into the school of your choice?

YouTheDesigner.com does a good job outlining the prep-work with 7 Tips for Getting Into Graphic Design School, starting with:

“1. Have a Versatile, but Focused Portfolio

As a graphic designer it is important to have a versatile Graphic Design portfolio, at least early one. The point of design school is to figure out what area of design you like best, such as web design, magazine design, print design and so on, but when applying it can be better to show a general portfolio. You should always show what you do best, just don’t have all website designs or all magazine spreads. Mix it up and show you are multi-talented and not a one trick design pony!

2. Show Basic Art Skills

When applying to art school its important to have some fine art in your portfolio, even if you are a designer, because it shows you have a solid foundation in art. Drawings are the most common item featured in graphic design portfolios, followed by paintings. Just make sure they are actually good drawings and paintings and don’t add too many. Remember design is what you are there for, but its good to show you have solid basic art skills….” Read all 7 Tips here.

Tags College of Graphic Design, Graphic Design Careers, Graphic Design College, Graphic Design School, School of Graphic Design

Press

Graphic Design Students Put Heart into Art for Health

Post author By Beverly Lansing
Post date April 19, 2012

Graphic design students participate in community projects to learn about working with real clients and practice invaluable problem-solving skills. When this type of project is cause-worthy, it can be even more rewarding. Students in one School of Art found were called upon to design art for a public health show:

Yale Daily News – School of Public Health and School of Art students opened an exhibit this week of posters promoting health issues.

“The Art of Public Health” show — which opened in a School of Art gallery on April 13 and closes April 24 — features themes ranging from vaccines, to nutrition and global health. According to organizers, the posters aim to condense “complex” public health information into visually striking posters, while targeting parents, teenagers and Spanish speakers. After the success of this year’s pilot project, the group expects to produce a similar gallery next year, said Vanessa Lamers SPH ’13 FES ’13, one of the gallery organizers. This project marks the first time students from both schools have collaborated on interdiscplinary work, she added.

“We wanted to focus on bringing the ideas we were learning in the classroom to the public,” Lamers said. “So we chose an interdisciplinary project that condensed all that information into powerful visuals.”

The idea for the project, said School of Public Health professor Catherine Yeckel, originated as an outside activity in her “Physiology for Public Health” class. She said the more students learned about the scientific concepts behind public health, the more they realized that they were losing focus on the “public” part of it, to which Yeckel responded by challenging the students to create a public project.

“It’s easy for students to learn lots of things, but they are not often implemented in the community,” Yeckel said. “Students became so creative that they decided to bring the project outside the classroom and came up with this brilliant idea.”

More News about Graphic Design Schools:

Art School Announces Short-Term Multi-Media Training

London College Drops Graphic Design Print Program

CalArt Students Win Scholarships

Tags College of Graphic Design, Graphic Design Careers, Graphic Design Classes, Graphic Design College, Graphic Design School, Graphic Design School Events, Graphic Design School Exhibitions, graphic design students, School of Graphic Design

Graphic Design News

Students Admitted to Program Based on Graphic Design Class Scores

Post author By Beverly Lansing
Post date April 17, 2012

One graphic design school is making access to a graduated program a fierce competition among students. The university of Georgia currently enrolled in a class where the outcome of their final project decides who gets into the next phase of the curriculum.

“Of the 32 students enrolled in the graphics design survey classes at the University, only 14 are chosen to enroll in the major. The arduous process turns students into competitors,” according to the graphic design school’s article on redandblack.com

Graphic design students must become acquainted with competition, however. The graphic design market it a highly competitive arena where plenty of graduates are vying for similar jobs. Some students have to adapt their social skills to accommodate the competition:

“Because it is so competitive, you can’t make friends because you kind of want them to get cut,” said Kaitlyn O’Connor, a senior graphic design major. “It is ridiculous in hindsight, but during it, it was a really heated competition.”

In order to apply to the graphic design major, students must register for a graphic design survey class, ARGD 2010. The work they produce in the class is used as their application for the program.

Richard Morgan, a senior graphic design major, said the class is a “history of graphic design put to practice.”

He said participants make renditions of each era, sometimes spending several hours perfecting their work.

They then submit the portfolio for faculty to judge and critique at the end of the semester. Morgan added that faculty also take into account how dedicated students are and how researched their projects are.

“It was a very stressful [experience],” he said. “I had to be very competitive and strong about it. We literally almost fought for it. We all visited professors after class hours, talking about what we could do to be better in the class.”

Junior Sarah Lawrence, who is also an editorial cartoonist for The Red & Black, said she decided it would be easier to sleep through the decision process.

Read the rest of the story from redandblack.com

More Reading:

Graphic Design Student Wins Scholarship

Graphic Designs, Art on Display at Trinity

Tags College of Graphic Design, Graphic Design Careers, Graphic Design Classes, Graphic Design College, Graphic Design Competitions, Graphic Design School, graphic design students, School of Graphic Design

Graphic Design News

Graphic Design Students Appreciate Tough Professors

Post author By Beverly Lansing
Post date April 11, 2012

Graphic design school is challenging, which is one of the many reasons a good education from an accredited college is an important step for any would-be graphic designer. Students find that registering for classes can be as stressful as the curriculum itself, but thanks to some hard-nosed teachers those students are grateful for their choices later one. Teacher Wendy Shapiro recently lifted the veil and explains why some graphic design classes are so hard and how that helps the student:

The moment before registering for classes can evoke a variety of emotions among students. Some experience excitement as they take a step closer to graduation. Others lose sleep from the fear of registering for a required course instructed by a professor known for stringent grading and high demands. Their fingers tremble with trepidation as they make the mouse click of no return. Many students, however, look back at their experiences with these instructors and realize signing up for a class was a decision they would never regret.

Graphic design professor Wendy Shapiro is known for her attention to detail and high expectations of students. While they acknowledge the difficulty of her class, Shapiro’s students agree they’re better graphic designers because of it.

Shapiro hails from Norristown, Penn., a small town outside of Philadelphia. Growing up in a family rich with a history of educators, she seemed destined to follow their footsteps. However, after taking four years of graphic design in high school, her love for the subject created a difficult decision for which career path to take. She eventually decided to switch majors from education to graphic design for her last two years of undergraduate study.

“I thought I would get tired of teaching after a period of time and my grades were so much better in graphic design,” Shapiro said.

She went on to work for the North County Times as its marketing and advertising designer. Instructional Technology Services at San Diego State also utilized her services as a graphic designer.

Read the rest of her story at The Daily Aztec.

More Reading about Graphic Design School teachers:

Teens get lessons in financial literacy

Mott Community College professor Mara Jevera Fulmer heading to Russia as a Fulbright Program specialist

Tags College of Graphic Design, Graphic Design Careers, Graphic Design Classes, Graphic Design College, Graphic Design School, graphic design students, School of Graphic Design

Graphic Design News

Graphic Design Exhibition Samples Artistic Style

Post author By Beverly Lansing
Post date April 11, 2012

For future students of graphic design, exhibitions offer a unique chance to peek into the world of graphic design schools and get a glimpse of the quality of work that they can obtain.

Years of hard work at a graphic design school typically culminates with a senior exhibition, which gives students a chance to showcase their work through a collection of graphic designs. Exhibitions are generally free and open to the public, where design firms and others interested in graphic design can get their first impression of the newest generation of artists.

Interested parties in McPherson Kansas can experience such a display at McPherson College through the 24^th of April:

As senior studio art and graphic design students prepare for graduation from McPherson College, they have one more opportunity to demonstrate their skill and creativity. The current exhibition at the college features more than 200 pieces of work by seven seniors in a huge variety of styles and mediums.

“I can’t believe how prolific they are,” said Wayne Conyers, professor of art, “The amount of work and the quality of work they create is just phenomenal. There’s such a range here. They’ve all developed their own style, which I think is absolutely wonderful.”

The work is on display in McPherson College’s Friendship Hall through April 24, with a reception for the artists from 2 to 4 p.m. on April 22.

Bethany Schoenwetter, McPherson, Kan., works mostly in large, broadly sketched human figures in monochromatic colors. In this exhibit, her work mostly consists of charcoal drawings inspired by classical figures in paintings and sculpture, but with the faces replaced by people she knows. Also in her work are intriguing figures of dancers in India ink over yellowed sheet music.

Just across the hall, Wes Story, Little Elm, Texas, has displayed two motorcycles he designed, as well as works in a variety of mediums with a Western theme uniting them.

Your Graphic Design School Portfolio

Post author By Beverly Lansing
Post date April 7, 2012

A portfolio of all of the designs you have created during your time in graphic design school is one of the most important items you will have when you graduate college. Second to a degree, the portfolio will show future employers and clients the kind of work they can expect from you and the level of your expertise in the art of graphic design.

For this reason, many graphic design schools use the student portfolio as an important part of the grading process and many consider a student’s portfolio to weigh heavily in determining the overall score that student will receive. So what goes into a student’s portfolio in graphic design school and why is it so important?

According to GraphicDesignBlog.org, there are five not-so-secret ingredients when formulating the perfect graphic design portfolio:

It’s always GDB’s top priority to bring helpful tips and resources for aspiring Graphic Designers. Therefore, before you start getting inspired with “38 Impressive Designer Portfolios” from net, I would like you all to know “5 must-have” features of an ideal portfolio.

Logo: An exclusive portfolio helps us to promote our self as a brand, therefore it is important to have a dependable logo. First thing a visitor checks on your portfolio is a logo and it should be catchy to tempt the user to check your complete portfolio.

Tagline: Your tagline should well define your services and creative abilities. It should be short, snappy and summarize about your goals. Your tagline should be catchy enough, to change an ordinary user into a potential customer.

Services: This feature of your portfolio should be detailed and well explained. This is the feature where you get to explain your area of expertise like web design, development, video, copywriting, branding, etc.

Blog: We all know blog is always a casual and successful way of sharing your creative thoughts with your visitors. It helps to promote you and prevent your website from lying static. It allows people to search you on different social networks and drop comments about your portfolio.

About Me: To cut the long story short, a portfolio is all “About Me” Share your family background, education and interests with people. The more details you give, the better a bond of trust is created between you and your users.

Apart all these listed features, just remember that an online design portfolio should be easy to use, should be clearly sectioned and simple in design to allow your design artwork to shine.

Anyways, now without squandering any more time, let’s start with the tour… 38 examples of most exclusive portfolios have been put together here for your inspiration.

You can read more about portfolios from GraphicDesignBlog.org and view 38 of their favorite portfolio designs here.

Read more about designing a portfolio from graphic design school:

Portfolio Center

Preparing Your Portfolio for College Admissions

12 Steps to a Super Graphic Design Portfolio

Tags College of Graphic Design, Graphic Design Careers, Graphic Design Classes, Graphic Design College, Graphic Design School, Graphic Design School Degrees, graphic design students, School of Graphic Design

Graphic Design News

Graphic Design School Portfolios – Reviewed by ADC

Post author By Beverly Lansing
Post date April 7, 2012

Each year in graphic design schools around the country, student designers are working hard to build their portfolio – a file full of designs, plans, and accomplishments that will help them land jobs following graduation. Some students need to begin building their portfolios from their first year in school so that they can then apply for graduate programs in the future.

Students need not wait until it’s time to apply to that graduate program or to apply for their very first job in graphic design, however. Each year, the Art Directors Club hosts an annual portfolio review for students in graphic design schools and other creative arts arenas.

The newest class of young talent in advertising, design and interactive will once again assemble in New York for the Art Directors Club National Student Portfolio Review, taking place April 30-May 2 at the ADC Gallery.

This prestigious, invitation-only review event features participation from dozens of the nation’s leading visual communications schools and their top student talent. Each year, dozens of creatives working in advertising, design and interactive volunteer their time to review portfolios from 300 of the most promising graduating seniors in advertising and graphic design nominated by selected faculty members. The program was the industry’s first to add an entire separate day devoted to Interactive reviews.

The annual event is segmented by day: April 30 for Design reviewing, May 1 for Advertising and May 2 for Interactive. Each day runs noon-6:00 pm, and creatives can spend all or part of the day at the ADC Gallery meeting with students and reviewing portfolios. Lunch will be served, along with flavorful shaved ice courtesy of People’s Pops.

This year’s review sections are chaired by three top creative leaders: Joe Marianek, associate partner, Pentagram (Design, April 30); James Cooper, chief creative innovation officer, JWT New York (Advertising, May 1) and Kash Sree, former chief creative officer, SS+K (Interactive, May 2).