Graphic Designing

Introduction:

Graphic Design is the process of visual communication which combines words, images and ideas to present the information to the audience. Graphic Design in simple words, deals with aesthetically creating visual designs with the aid of computer to convey a message to the viewers. In other words, Graphic Design is an artistic and professional discipline that focuses on visual communication and presentation toward the goal of delivering a message or creating a product. Graphic design is a part of marketing campaign that involves visual communication. Graphic design attempt to transmit specific messages by means of appropriate visual material. These messages may be aimed at projecting a certain image of an organisation, transmitting information or promoting a service or product.

Graphic designers or graphic artists plan, analyse, and create visual solutions to communication problems. Graphic designer is a person in the graphic arts who puts together art, text, and other visuals to produce professional printed results. Graphic designers influence how we view the world using colours, illustrations, photos and fonts. A graphic designer creates the graphics primarily for published, printed or electronic media. Graphic designers develop the layout and production design of newspapers, magazines, corporate reports, journals and other publications. They also design the logos, packaging and promotional material that give companies and their products a distinctive identity. Graphic designers find out what their client or organisation is trying to say and who their target audience is and they are able to effectively communicate that through graphic arts.

Graphic design is a part of our life and can be seen around us as long as there is visual advertising. Graphic designers are working behind the scenes to help market products. If we look around us from a magazine to company logos, sign boards and even product packing influence of graphic design is present. Graphic design are also seen in the production of film and television advertisements as well as the design of book covers, calendars, labels, wrappers, letterheads and trademarks.

Graphic Designers may work in their own offices or studios or in clients' offices. Graphic designers employed by large advertising, publishing, or design firms generally work regular hours in well-lighted and comfortable settings. Designers in smaller design consulting firms and those who freelance generally work on a contract, or job basis. Self employed designers work longer hours or shorter hours according to there convenience and based on the work undertaken or scheduled time.

Educational: A bachelor's degree in graphic design or fine arts is usually required for most entry-level and advanced graphic design positions. Bachelor's degree programs in fine arts or graphic design are offered at many colleges, universities, and private design schools. Bachelor course is of 3 years duration and eligibility is 10+2 with a creative bent of mind. There is 1 year Diploma in Visual Communication. There are also 2 years and 1 year program for the candidates who have attained 18 years and with 10+2 education.

Personal attributes:

Creativity is very important factor for a career in design. The more creative a person is, the farther they will go in this field. Graphic designers must possess a combination of skills, including technical, computer and design skills, and the ability to detain audience. The abilities to work independently and under pressure are equally important traits.They must also have visual problem solving ability. Graphic designers must be open to new ideas and influences, and quick to react to changing trends.

Job Prospects & Career Options:

Graphic designing as a career is the right choice for you if you love to draw and sketch. Graphic design is a globally universal skill, therefore it is possible for you to work all over the world. Due to tremendous growth of the media industry there is excellent employment options in this career area. If being your own boss appeals to you, then graphic design is a compelling career choice.

There are a variety of graphic design jobs for those interested in this field. You have the freedom to choose which area of graphic design you'd like to pursue based on your talent. Graphic design career opportunities include: creative directors, layout artist, Flash designer, web designer, multimedia designer, logo designer, brand identity designer, prepress technician etc.

Creative directors/Art Director: Creative directors are also called art directors, they are hired by different types of media outlets - particularly advertising agencies, magazines, newspapers and television networks. Art directors manages the team that consist of artists, graphic designers, photographers, copywriters and production staff. These people are the ones who do a lot of the less creative work in a design studio. However, over half of art directors are self-employed or freelance.

Layout artist: Layout Artists are in charge with the structure and layout of images and text for print media such as magazine works, flyers, posters, etc. They are required to have knowledge and experience in using various computer software's like Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop and Macromedia Freehand. Employment opportunities for layout can be found with advertising agencies, magazine and newspapers, public relations firms, and manufacturers. There is also a strong demand for freelance layout artists or in-house layout artists.

Brand identity Designer: In larger cities, graphic designers can find employment with a company as a brand identity designer. Brand identity designers are responsible for developing products and promotional materials that will mold how the company is viewed by the public. A company's brand identity can be represented in terms of design through a unique logo, or signage. Brand identity design is what helps consumers remember the company and often what brings them back. The right brand identity design can be one of the company's strongest marketing tools as it translates the values, and strategic vision of a company into a consistent image that consumers become familiar with.

Logo Designer: Many graphic designers specialise in logo production. They are hired by companies to produce signage, in-office products, and even marketing and promotional materials. A logo is a brand identity image, or a tag of a company or product. A logo is a tangible concept that provides a company with a visual image, and that fosters recognition by consumers. Similar to the brand identity designer, a logo designer works to mold the company's public image using colour, type, and graphics.

Flash Designers: Some graphic designers design and create websites. They use flash animations, one of the trendiest technology used in web design, to design unique applications for company websites. A Flash designer creates interactive movies using customised effects on text, navigation, animation, video.

Illustrators: Illustrators conceptualise and create illustrations that represent an idea or a story through two-dimensional or three-dimensional images. As an illustrator, you may find employment with magazines, periodicals, book and software publishers, manufacturers, or working with various types of electronic media. There are also opportunities in the motion picture and video industries, and computer game design industry as well. They work as freelance illustrator, and do work in several of these industries on a contract basis.

Web Designer: A graphic designer who specialises in coding can work as a web page or website designer. A web designer creates pages, layout and graphics for web pages. Their main task is to create an aesthetically pleasing and user friendly site. As a web designer, you will make decisions regarding what content is included on a web page, where things are placed, and how the aesthetic and continuity is maintained from one screen to the next.

Multimedia Designer: A Multimedia designer produces sketches, scale models, drawings or plans. Multimedia designers can explore careers in the field of television, audio or film production, as well as set or production design. As a Multimedia designer one can find employment with film studios, television stations, advertising agencies and video production houses. You may also be able to work with live productions such as live theatre and live concerts.

Prepress Technician: Graphic designers are often employed as prepress technicians for magazines and newspapers. Prepress technicians are responsible for several tasks before publications go to print - such as checking for text, layout and other errors, colours and graphic placement, and more. Prepress technicians also find work in desktop publishing. Job prospects in prepress area available in several industries such as traditional printing and publishing, advertising, public relations, graphic design, and business

The career of graphic designer is an exciting one that has many different opportunities, from working for a major corporation to owning your own online graphic design business. The graphic designers get a wide scope in creative media such as electronic media, packaging, film and animation, advertising agencies, marketing firms, design studios, educational institutes, printers and typesetters, exhibits and displays, audio-visual media, publishers, manufacturers and department stores. This is really a flexible career. You can work from the comfort of your own home and you can even use your skills in design to accomplish business projects.

Institutes:

  1. NID (National Institute of Design), Ahmedabad
  2. IDC, IIT Bombay
  3. Pearl Academy, (Delhi, Mumbai, Jaipur)
  4. NIFT, Delhi
  5. MAEER’S MIT Institute of Design, Pune
  6. Srishti School of Art Design and Technology, (Bengaluru, Pune , Trivandrum)
  7. Indian School of Design and Innovation, (Mumbai)
  8. GD Goenka School of Fashion & Design, (Mumbai)
  9. Sir J J Institute of Applied Art, (Mumbai)
  10. Delhi College of Art, Delhi

Challenges:

  • Constantly evolving industry The graphic design industry evolves in leaps and bounds not only through the various technological advances made in design software, cameras, computers etc., but also through the trends in colours, ideas and customer tastes. A graphic designer needs to be well read, and have the necessary skill sets to adapt easily from one trend to another.
  • Managing expectations A graphic designer, unlike a doctor or an engineer, cannot just give one solution to solve a problem, and may need to offer multiple solutions that may suit the taste of a customer. And yet, still expect revisions and changes.
  • Striking a Balance The tough part here is to strike the right balance between the creativity that he/she may want to use and the ideas that the customer may have. At the end of the day, everyone wants happy customers.

Remuneration:

Salaries for Graphic designers vary upon their level of responsibility, experience, training and the industry in which they work. Starting salary for freshers is about 7,000 to 10,000. With experience and ability salary increases. The average pay for a Graphic Artist / Designer is Rs 274,572 per year. Most people move on to other jobs if they have more than 10 years' experience in this career. Experience strongly influences salary for this job. For more details visit: http://www.payscale.com/research/IN/Job=Graphic_Artist_%2F_Designer/Salary

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