So,
you're thinking about getting into graphic design, and
you're wondering what qualifications will you need to enter into the industry. Now
if you're young, between the age of 11 and 20,
still at school, and thinking of becoming a
graphic designer, you may be wondering what do
I need to get into the industry? What qualifications do I need? And what grades do I need? Now
if you're a little older and you're thinking
of a career change, you may also be wondering
what experience do I need? Do I need a college
degree? So, all these are good and important
questions.
Now in most cases, when seeking a graphic design job, it does
not matter where you have been, where you have
studied, what subjects you undertook, or what
grades you have or how old you are. Most of
the time, the one thing that will get you a job in
graphic design is your portfolio. Your job as
a graphic designer is to be creative, and you
are looking to get paid to creatively problem solve. Someone is going to pay you to do work for them, and the only way they can be assured you're the person for the job is by looking at what you have already done and what you can do for them.
I have been in the
industry for over 10 years now, and I have never been asked where I studied and
what grades I have had. So, if you are looking to get into the design industry,
your first priority is to build yourself a portfolio to showcase your ability. If
you can demonstrate you have done a variety of work along with some examples
of your design process, this will be attractive to an employer especially if an
employer has a particular creative job in mind you have done before. If you can
demonstrate you have done work with successful and high-quality results, that
will be very impressive.
Now one typically starts
to generate a portfolio at college and university which upon graduated, one can
use at interviews to get a job. Now if you're older and have not attended any
creative course, you can develop your portfolio personally. So, the first main
qualification you will need is your portfolio. Now the portfolio, in my
opinion, is the most important qualification, but some may argue that
experience is more significant. I have been to so many interviews only to be
told that I have not been given the job because the other applicant had more
experience than I did.
Experience is something that becomes more and more
relevant as you begin to apply yourself to more senior positions in the
industry. Experience is what will be looked for and scrutinized as you apply
for jobs such as where you studied. Some art schools may have a good reputation
for having good courses and producing good designers. If you find yourself
competing with other graduate designers, then this and your degree can give you
the edge. You will find that this is only relevant when you're fresh out of
school. You don't have any prior experience, and you're applying for a graduate
job. As you become more and more senior and gain experience in the industry, this
will become irrelevant. Who you have worked for? As you apply yourself to
senior roles, you will find who you have worked for will become more relevant. If
you can say you have worked for some well-known agencies and clients, this can
be impressive and install confidence.
If you can provide
positive references from people you have worked with or for, this will highly
improve your chances of getting work. The more, the better. What jobs you have
done. Now employers will be looking for you to do a specific creative job or
perhaps a range of creative jobs. If you can demonstrate you have done a
variety of work, this will be attractive to an employer. Awards you have won. This
is really a bonus. If you can claim to have won any particular awards, this
will add to your credibility.
Your skills and talents.
This can be anything from your communication skills, your software skills, to
your design process. If you can talk about your work and your design process, show
that you're methodical, efficient, and swift at bringing your work to life, this
can be very attractive. This is where you can stand out from others. So those
are some experience points that will be looked for by potential employers. Graphic
design can be a very competitive industry. Sometimes it can come down to
experience on who gets the job. So, your experience comes in the form of a CV. What
you will find is when you apply for a job, you will send over your portfolio, your
CV, and any references.
The CV is a
representation of your professional persona and experience. If the portfolio is
a showcase of your work and talent, then the CV is a showcase of your
experience, personality, and personal qualities. The CV will predominantly be
an introduction to yourself, your key skills, and a list of who you have worked
for and what you did. So, the main qualifications you will need to enter into
the graphic design industry is a portfolio of work and experience in the form
of a CV.
Now these two
qualifications remain crucial throughout your entire graphic design career. As
you gain more experience and create more work, you will find yourself having to
constantly update them to get better jobs in future.
This is dummy text. It is not meant to be read. Accordingly, it is difficult to figure out when to end it. But then, this is dummy text. It is not meant to be read. Period.
ConversionConversion EmoticonEmoticon