March 28, 2024

What You Need to Know about the Graphic Design Industry

An artist: a breed of person that has a flair inside of them that they have to get out at all times, and the graphic design industry is the perfect vessel for them to do so. With the world of being a professional artist, in the sense of having work being placed in museums to be lauded at by art enthusiasts and critics, being a very lucrative one to find success in, the graphic design industry offers a sensible alternative as it includes the same fundamental remit: creating art — albeit in a more controlled and professional manner.

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For anybody who has worked as graphic designer will know that you rarely see things in the same way that you did before you entered the field. For example, seeing a marketing camping in the form of, say, a big poster will no longer just be a case ‘oh look, that looks nice’ or ‘that’s a big poster’. No, now you’re more likely to be working out the measurements of the design in your head, thinking about how it could better the contrasting colours and just generally spotting mistakes. Like any other profession, there are ‘tricks of the trade’ that become imbedded in your brain that mean you can no longer look at certain things in the same light.

Like most other sectors in the creative industries, graphic design has a negative reputation of being a free and laid back job which enables anyone who does it to have an unlimited amount of spare time, but this is far from the truth. As it’s a role where those in it are heavily invested in the work they produce, having a deadline approaching yet still not feeling completely happy with the standard of their work is a stress that plagues most graphic designers. Taking work home to complete can induce long hours, and even when there isn’t any physical work to be done a designer is always likely to be running over possibilities for their next project. As well as this, every piece of work produced is subject to change as clients and customers are likely to change their minds on every little thing.

There is also a host of extensive training to be done to make sure that you are not an artist working as a graphic designer, but a graphic designer acting like an artist. For example, an artist, especially those who work solely without the use of the technological advances of the modern day, would not be inclined to use software such as Photoshop — yet for their work as a professional graphic designer it’s pivotal. The range of things that can be achieved when using the software are unparalleled by any other kinds of image editing system, which is why it is used by pro designers all over the world. Photoshop training is to be sought for any novices who wish to advance in the world of photoshopping and ultimately the industry of graphic design as whole. If any would be graphic designers are apprehensive about such a task, they should see it as a way of not only bettering their professional life, but also bettering the creative artist that lives inside of them as the skills they learn in the workplace could be transmitted into one’s own artistic endeavours.

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But anybody who is both working professionally as a graphic designer and, in their free time, practicing as an artist must be able to differentiate between the two. Being at work means that there are guidelines and rules, set by the client, that must be followed; sometimes these rules are going to squash the creative monster that is desperate to be let out, and this needs to be expected. Also, the landscape of creative practice is ever-changing — intellectual property is lawfully binding, which means any work produced professionally for a client is not property of the designer that created it.

Make sure to check these seven interesting facts if you wish to further understand the basics of how the graphic design industry works and what you can expect when you immerse yourself into this highly creative profession. If you think you have the artistic flair coupled with the dedication to produce high quality work for clients, being a graphic designer can be quite a rewarding profession. But don’t expect it to be the freedom most people think it is and don’t expect to be able to switch off from work even when away from the office.

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