Industry Roles Within Graphic Design
Industry Roles within Graphic Design
Most graphic design roles fall under two main formats in today's age of design, one being digital work for online platforms and one being physical e.g., books, posters etc...
That said, those two practices now interlink more than ever, considering products such as those physical formats I had mentioned can now be advertised globally and with much more ease compared to the older generation. This evolution in merchandising has caused even the traditional medium of graphic designers to learn how to edit software and straighten designs using Adobe illustrator.
Despite this, many artists still like to express their skills in traditional graphic design methods, such as letter pressing. This is where they create moulds and stencils for a certain texture to appear on paper after rearranging the letters to create a statement. Many find this more authentic and powerful compared to software use and it still holds a place in today’s market. It requires patients and more physical labour compared to other mediums.
Another role would be in editorial work, such as magazine layouts, you would have to make design choices that are also practical for the purpose of the product (e.g. you would have to assess where the heading of a magazine can be best seen when stacked behind other magazines).
There are many jobs in editorial work but in the form of films, and cinematic editing, (e.g. editing the scenes and the tones of the theme that the client would like the piece to be presented in). Graphics are used within the developing work of design, and animation is growing in demand, as moving pictures are found to be more instantly captivating for a fast-paced society. Another role in the industry is 3D modelling, designers can give a more realistic presentation of a product design so that the client can assess whether the live prototypes would function without consuming too much time or money to produce it. 3D modelling is also heavily used in the gaming industry, where graphics design crosses into many different revenues of work.
Another important skill to have as a graphic designer is to size and export designs that suits whatever format/ platform the piece would be showcased on. This evolves around the designs functionality, and is paramount when working in the industry. This is in conjunction with thinking strategically about design, and how they would serve their functionality on the market. Other then it being an incredibly vital process to follow to ensure the success of a design, having the ability to logically analyse your own designs is fundamental in growing as a designer. As the graphics design is very much a cognitive discipline.
Quoting Mullet and Sano (1995), from the research paper ‘Tullinge: International Institute for Information Design’ ‘‘The most fundamental design technique is reduction’’, reducing information or the user journey is key to creating a successful design. Reducing information to a more compact format and understood by a large audience is a process that requires many steps to achieve. This is applicable to every area in the industry, in the recent decade this has translated to digital design, but designers prior to this would have to apply this process to physical works.
According to an article created by Beth Michon from the Nottingham Michon design studio, said that 68% of students surveyed recently have felt unprepared for the industry after leaving education. This could very well be due to the lack of adaptability to the actual industry those students haven’t curated from lack of working with customers who have a specific demand. Preparation to this also comes with having strong intrapersonal skills to be able to communicate ideas effectively and how to argue how and why your ideas would be some that they want. This is interlinked with the previous statement of having a good analytical mindset, although when talking to those unfamiliar with graphic design you would need to demonstrate good ‘sales-men’ ship skills.
During a talk that I attended with the founders of Framework, Stephan Hayward explained to us how he would pitch an idea to a new client following the principles that came from his background in sells. ‘I’m a sells man at heart’, Hayward revealed furthering his explanation with how he would need to explain to clients why they want the idea and how it benefits them.
References
Pettersson, R., 2015. Graphic design. Tullinge: International Institute for Information Design.
