Graphic Design Positions

Working as a graphic designer means working a normal 40 hour workweek in most circumstances unless you are working on a particular project with a pressing deadline. It is not a job that most designers are not allowed to take home due to copyright/proprietary issues and demand is expected to grow greatly in the next 10 years according to government websites.

If you have a degree in graphic design, you can search for work in almost any industry or the option exists for you to work independently and freelance your work, but doing so requires that you have a good head for business and salesmanship in order to promote your work. Some of the more popular positions that graphic designers get into include:

• Internet/Website Design: You can work either independently or as part of a company for this work. Designing buttons, menus, backgrounds, animated and static characters, logos and improving on the work of others who were not prepared to take their company on the web from print media. These positions require a good eye for color and balance and an understanding of website flow and the development process. If you work for a business you will likely be a part of a workflow team that will include the website writers, copyeditors, programmers, network and database specialists and developers.
• Advertising & Print Media: Working in an advertising firm to develop graphics for either the television or print industry is a rewarding career of possible animation and static images for billboards, commercials, television shows, magazines and newspapers. You will be responsible for design and placement as well as possible layouts and color mastering.
• Motion Picture Special Effects: Animating a motion picture takes an enormous team of talent of which you could be a part. Animating for film means being part of a small sub-team of animators working on a specific animation segment, character or sequence. It is possible that months of work by you will be seen on the screen for just a few seconds or may end up on the cutting room floor and not seen at all. If you work on special effects you should be prepared to work for a demanding employer (director) with a critical eye for exactly what they want, how they want it to look (and act).
• Video Game Development: If it takes a large team to develop an animated film, it takes even more people to build and render some games on the market. From strategy games, to first person shooters, to massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs), your part on this team could be as simple as designing trees for a specific part of the landscape, or you may be responsible for developing a particular area of the land itself. Increasingly done in 3D environments only, video game animation often requires long hours and overtime since demands and deadlines from the game publishers are usually pressing. The rewards for this type of work can last a very long time as children and adults alike partake directly of your work and enjoy it and send their compliments in as fan mail.