If you're seeking graphic design employment, it's important to know what type of graphic design jobs education and training you might need before pursuing this career. From formal education requirements to continuing education and training in the way of seminars and conferences, a graphic design career can be a continual learning experience.

Whether you're looking for online graphic design jobs or graphic design positions within an established company, you'll need the proper education and training to land a graphic design job. A formal degree in graphic arts from a college or art school is a must. Seminars, conferences, classes and internships or apprenticeships are also great ways to develop skills needed for careers in graphic design.

1. Open the door to many graphic design job opportunities with a formal degree from an accredited college or university.
2. Learn the skills needed for graphic designer jobs from an accredited art school or institute.
3. Continue your graphic design jobs education and training with programs offered by graphic design organizations.
   

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Go to college and receive a degree to start your graphic design career

An associate's degree or bachelor's degree in graphic design is essential for graphic design employment. Many colleges and universities offer four-year programs in graphic design. You will be able to pursue more graphic design job opportunities by securing a degree in this field.

I recommend: Earn a bachelor of fine arts degree when you complete the four-year graphic design program at the University of the District of Columbia. The Academy of Art University offers both undergraduate and graduate degrees in graphic design.

Attend a school of design or art school to prepare yourself for a graphic design job

If a college or university setting isn't for you, you might choose to get your degree from an art institute or school of design. The intensive programs taught at these types of institutions will groom you for careers in graphic design, in most cases in less time than it takes to get a four-year degree. You can choose to attend or conduct your classes online.

I recommend: The ITT Technical Institute is one of the top institutes for providing technological education in the United States, and their 15-quarter graphic design program includes use of the most updated systems and software. Build your portfolio and get a certificate in graphic design when you complete the nine-course, 13-course or 17-course program from the Sessions Online School of Design.

Take advantage of education programs to enhance your skills and further your graphic design career

Joining a graphic design association has many perks, not the least of which is the availability of continuing education opportunities. Seminars, conferences, lectures and classes can be vital parts of graphic design jobs education and training. As technology advances and changes, continuing education will be essential to graphic designer careers.

I recommend: The American Institute of Graphic Artists (AIGA) has a wide range of educational opportunities for graphic designers, from conferences and seminars to guidebooks, articles, a newsletter and more. Enhance your graphic design career with conferences and seminars offered by the Design Management Institute (DMI).

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Get invaluable hands-on experience for graphic designer jobs through one of the many internships available in this field.

With a graphic design career, you do not have to die in order for others to appreciate your artistic work. In fact, many people make a very nice living with graphic design employment.

With the right set of skills, you can go far. Most companies will need the services of graphic designer eventually, and while these graphic design jobs may be temporary, there is usually enough work to keep you busy.

If you want to get off to a great start with careers in graphic design:

1. Get as much experience as you can. When you apply for a graphic design job opening, employers want to know that you have successfully worked on campaigns for other companies. Even if you need to volunteer your services, the experience is important.

2. Stay up to date on the newest graphic design programs. Many companies create new programs or updates on a regular basis and if you have a graphic design career, it's important that you know about the latest advancements in the industry.

3. Encourage previous clients to recommend you to their friends. Word of mouth advertising is often the best.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Search for graphic design job opportunities

One of the best ways to look for jobs in any industry is through the Internet. This makes the job search easy by allowing you to search for jobs in all areas.

I recommend: AIGA is a professional design association that lists graphic designer job information and listings on its website. Krop is another well-respected site that lists design jobs.

Use a graphic design employment agency to find the best position for you

If you're sick of sending out resumes and not getting a response, then it's time to let someone else take the time to do that. A good recruiter will send your resume to available positions that you qualify for and act as a go-between with you and the potential employer.

I recommend: Artisan specializes in matching design professionals with the companies that need them. They have graphic design jobs for both print and the web. The Art Squad also places creative types into a job that's right for them.

Go out on your own with freelance graphic design careers

Whether the town you live in simply doesn't have many graphic design job openings available or whether you prefer to work from home, there are many great benefits to becoming a freelance graphic designer. With a bit of hard work, you can find enough jobs to keep you busy and pay for all your expenses.

I recommend: Create an online portfolio at Coroflot so that you can share your designs with others. You can also network with others in the industry through this site. The Freelance Switch is a community of freelancers and they list jobs available on a short term, freelance basis.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Your portfolio is very important when you apply for graphic designer jobs. Make sure that it is in great shape and reflects the type of image that you want to present to potential employers or clients.

If you are seeking graphic design jobs, mastering graphic design jobs key terms is a must. Interviewers will likely ask you about certain skill sets and ideas pertinent to graphic design, and using terms and industry jargon correctly is an important part of presenting yourself as a qualified professional.

Understanding graphic design jobs key terms can also help you understand which skills and what knowledge interviewers are looking for. Some terms relate directly to graphic design job positions, programs that graphic designers use, or even principles that designers make use of when completing projects.

Action Steps
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Graphic designer

A graphic designer is someone who arranges content into attractive designs. Graphic designers decide on the look of advertisements, product packages and more.

I recommend: WiseGeek has a detailed description of what a graphic designer is.

Graphic artist

Graphic artists take care of the layout and the look of print and online media, transforming words and pictures into attractive finished products.

I recommend: Rhino Studio has a detailed and comprehensive discussion of what a graphic artist is and what graphic artists do.

Desktop publisher

Desktop publishers use computers and special programs to put together documents that look attractive and can be sent to printers or to web designers. If a business wants to create an ad to run in a newspaper, for example, it might hire a desktop publisher to create a final document that the business could send to newspapers. The document would show the ad exactly as it is supposed to look in the newspaper.

I recommend: CurryGuide.com has an easy-to-understand and detailed explanation of what desktop publishers do.

Web designer

A web designer is someone who creates and designs web sites and web content, including any applications that the Internet sites need to work effectively.

I recommend: W3Education has a detailed overview of careers for web designers, including definitions of what web designers are, what web designers do and what education web designers are expected to have. Right Point Web has a detailed description of web designers.

Adobe Illustrator

Adobe Illustrator is a vector-based illustration and drawing software program created and sold by Adobe Systems. Illustrator is one of the main programs that many graphic designers use. It is an industry standard that permits the creation of complex art, with flexible color, on-screen drawing and other tools.

I recommend: Video Symphony has an explanation of Adobe Illustrator and how it relates to graphic art careers.

Adobe Photoshop

Adobe Photoshop is an industry standard software, used for creating and editing images. Almost all graphic designers are expected to have advanced knowledge of this software.

I recommend: Adobe Systems allows you to see the many versions of the product on the market and gives you details about each version.