Traditionally, a Graphic Designer works in an advertising agency, art studio, or the art department of a store or corporation and designs print advertisements, brochures, logos, signs, package art, etc. But today many graphic designers have evolved into Art Directors and not only do traditional graphic design, but also design the "look" of television advertisements, film sets, music videos, and product displays. Most recently, graphic designers work on multimedia communications (see also The Career of Multimedia Artist such as Web sites, CD-ROMs, and video games.
Training for a career as a graphic artist or art director usually involves getting a degree from a school of art and design (equivalent in the visual arts world to a music conservatory in the music field) or from a commercial art program in a university or liberal arts college. Many community colleges have good two-year design programs from which you can transfer to a (generally more expensive) design school for the last two years. Keep in mind that training for design -- often called "commercial art" -- can differ from training strictly as a fine artist.
A fine artist, such as a painter, sculptor or installation artist, usually follows her/his own "vision" and produces work which shares this vision with the community at large. A designer, by contrast, is a problem solver. If a company needs to run an advertisement, the designer not only has to make it look great but has to make sure it is effective: that it communicates the message the advertiser wants to people who may buy the product. Thus the graphic designer doesn't necessarily present her/his own vision to the world, but the vision of her/his client. Since there is a big need for strong visual communications in our complex world of print, TV, film, computers, etc, it is usually easier to get a job as a graphic artist or art director than it is to make a living as a fine artist selling one's paintings or sculptures.
When you go to design school you will usually have to take three categories of courses: General liberal arts courses (such as English, History, Science, etc.) required by all colleges as part of higher education; A "Foundations Year" consisting of art courses required to understand the basics of art (Drawing, 2-D and 3-D Design, Color Theory, Art History); and studio courses in various areas of design. Think of the foundations year as equivalent to a musician learning scales and chords and the studio courses as equivalent to a musician learning various instruments. Studio courses for a designer may cover such diverse topics as graphic layout, typography, photography, computer graphics, or product design. You may take several courses in many of these areas, each focused on particular skills required of a designer. Naturally, you can choose areas which interest you the most.
Like many fields, the computer has come to play a major role in modern design. A student seeking a job as a graphic artist or art director today really needs to know how to use a computer for drawing, layouts, and image manipulation. Some design students may want to get into 2-D and 3-D computer animation and modeling (including virtual reality and simulations).
Although good software exists for graphic design for computers running Windows, Mac-OS and Unix operating systems, the Macintosh still seems to be the computer most used in professional art studios. For some really high end work (high resolution photographic image manipulation, 3-D animation, movie titles and special effects, and virtual reality) the Silicon Graphics, Inc.(SGI) computer, a Unix-based machine, is very often used. But don't worry too much about computer brands. If you learn to understand very well one computer operating system and key graphic software for that machine then you will find you can learn another brand of computer, or another kind of software, very quickly. The key is to really understand the computer, don't just memorize enough functions to make it through an assignment by imitating what others are doing.
When you go out to get a job, one aspect of your presentation will be the most important: your portfolio. All through college you need to save the best work you do in your commercial design courses. When you go for a job interview you will need to take a nicely prepared portfolio of only the best you have done. You will even want to take slides of some of your work and make duplicates to leave with a potential employer. Your portfolio will be more important than your grade point average or other school record. And don't be concerned about gender. Woman were welcomed into many design departments decades before it was common to see a woman news reporter, cinematographer, or investment banker.
If you want to read about schools in your area that have course offerings (you'll have to actually contact the individual school to find out whether or not a degree is offered), check out the WOW/EM Schools section.
Degree types with an emphasis in visual arts technology include: multimedia and graphic design. Here are some basic definitions...
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Copyright September 1996,
updated February 2004.
Kristine H. Burns,
Florida International University
Questions? Contact me.