Which ways can you use interactive “self Promotion” in obtaining job opportunities?

In today’s society, using Internet is the most popular way to self promote ones work. This has been true for over 10 years, as CV’s and portfolios have been sent via emails, and today it can be simply passing on a url to a blog, or website that holds our projects.

There are several websites created specifically to self promote in the aspect of job, the most known one being linkedin.com. Designers, however, often choose to promote via blogs such as tumblr, where it is easy to share a graphic picture around the world by simply “reblogging it”

Most respected graphic studios and freelance designers now have facebook pages, which enable them to easily showcase their work and connect with the audience and potential clients. Some also choose ofter social media platforms, such as google+, twitter and instagram. This means that artists, and studios are more accessible to the “common man”, and become known outside of the specific circles, becoming more commercial, spreading knowledge of their work.

What other skills do you need to acquire? And what steps will you take in obtaining these skills?

I feel that although I am on a good moderate level in my knowledge of software, I definitely need to develop my Indesign and Illustrator skills further, if I wish to be on the same level as most graphic designers today or become even better.

Other skills that have much room for improvement include time management, which at the moment can downgrade the standard of my work a little, and is a very important skill to possess in this industry. This can be improved by perhaps creating a schedule, or keeping a diary.

The biggest problem that I have at the moment is not having good people skills, or confidence in public. This means that my pitches to clients would be most likely unsuccessful. I feel that this is one of the key traits to have, as it enables working with other people, and perhaps convincing them to take my design, over someone else’s. I feel like this skill can be improved by making loads and loads of mock up pitches and presentation and practising them often in front of other people, for example friends and family.

Which skills do you have already?

Although I am at the very beginning of my journey to become a Graphic Designers, there are some skills that I have already obtained throughout my first year in University, and prior to that. Those include a basic knowledge of needed software, and this includes quite good knowledge of Adobe Photoshop, moderate level knowledge of Adobe Illustrator, Indesign and basics of Flash.

In my few years doing art-based courses I also have also learned how to draw, paint and learned about photography, including dark-room use. Although those aren’t necessarily specific to my field of work, they often overlap when working on different projects and with different clients, so this creates some diversity in my skills. During those courses, I have also obtained some basic knowledge of history of Design, Photography, and overall art. I feel that those are important, as it is necessary to relate back to specific techniques and periods in art.

During my first year in University, I have greatly improved my organisation skills, as with several projects running on at the same time, it was necessary to keep track of them. I have also improved my punctuality when giving deadlines, which does prepare me better for future work. I also learned about the basic print processes, and how they work today, and I feel this was quite important, as Designers often work with publishing and printing companies.

Who are the top five design companies within the UK?

Bluemarlin

With over 20 years of experience, Bluemarlin has become one of the top graphic agencies, creating branding and packaging for clients such as Vaseline and Weight Watchers. Their main area of work is packaging, although they have now also expanded to branding. With studios around Europe, Asia, Australia and the US, the UK based agency provides a truly global service with “cultural awareness” which attracts clients all around the world.

Website

Pearlfisher

Founded in London in 1992, award winning Pearlfisher is one of the leading graphic studios, with offices in London and New York. Their target is to create a relationship between the consumer and the branding that they design and with clients including Diary Milk, Starbucks and Absolute Vodka, they prove to be successful in creating the most memorable branding.Website

The Barn

Another London based studio, The Barn, creates branding for smaller, yet more exclusive companies, including Diptyque, Nude and Space NK. The Barn’s most important objective is to work closely with their clients, to produce the most beautiful graphic outcomes. Apart from branding, they specialise in web & mobile development, social media and games productions.
Website

Grundini

Relatively Young, Grundini already has an extensive list of clients on their portfolio. Creating work for Nokia, Royal Mail and Vodafone, they have quickly established themselves in the world of graphics. Grundini’s work is instantly recognizable, using strong colours and verging on abstract. Their unique style is fresh and memorable, breaking most rules of today’s minimalistic design.
Website

Pentagram

The biggest and most known Graphic Design studio in the world, with officess around the world, Pentagram is the most successful company out there. Founded in 1972, in London, they are the mother of all graphic design studios, creating work in all fields, including branding, architecture, video and installations. The long list of their clients include Penguin, Tiffany & Co. and John Lewis. Hiring many individual artists, their work is diverse and attracts clients from all around the globe.

Website

Sources: 1, 2

What skill sets are needed by a Graphic Designer.

Although there are many career opportunities for specific types of Graphics, most designers are expected to have a basic set of skills needed for the job.

Most important is probably the knowledge of software. This often includes Adobe software, such as Photoshop, Illustrator and Indesign. Often there should also be some knowledge of other softwares, for example After Effects, Dreamweaver or Flash. These can change in terms of what specific job description designers are looking at.

Other than purely digital skills, designers should have the ability to draw, or sketch, and have at least basic knowledge of traditional graphics, its history.

Also important is the basic knowledge of industries that work with graphic design closely. This includes web developing, printing, illustrations etc. Designer should also possess traits such as good organisation, people skills, and above all, creativity.
Photo Source: 1

What job opportunities’ exist?

Although Graphic Designers are expected to be flexible in their skills, many of them choose to focus and master one, or few specific ones. This creates separate job opportunities within the industry. I chose to look further into some of the more popular job titles within the Graphics career.

Web Designers

Web designers are responsible for layouts, design and coding of the pages. Basically, their role is to make the website look and work well, and also make it appropriate for a specific target audience. Although web designers often will work with professional web programmers, to code the page, they need to have at least basic understanding of how web developing works, to avoid layout mistakes. Other than that, they need to possess the knowledge of typical design software, such as Adobe. The typical web designer salary will range from £18 000 to £40 000 a year in a studio, or £200 to £1000 for a specific project.

Branding Designers

Designers in this fields create a visual, or branding identity for companies. This includes anything from logos or letterheads to entire advertising programs. Brandinfg designers are expected to know what their client needs and establish the branding around that and their trget audience. They need to be flexible, and be able to research companies in many different industries. Salaries for this type of job start out at around £100 for simple logo designs, to £1000 and more for whole branding schemes.

Art/Creative Directors

This type of job i mainly given to the best, most experienced designers out there. Their main role is to manage other graphic designers, but also people from other artistic fields, such as illustrators and animators. Except the usual graphic designer skills, they also have to be able to manage often large groups of people, make sure the work is in on time. They are often the ones who deal with specific clients the most. Salaries can be anything from around £20 to £120, depending on experience, success and previous jobs etc.

Sources: 1, 2, 3

What is the role of the Graphic Designer?

Graphic Design today is a crucial factor to many different businesses, whether big or small, art based or not. It is used as an advertising device, creating aesthetically pleasing and appropriate solutions for a specific product.

This diversity means that Graphic Designers work with many different clients, be it small local shop owners or CEO’s of big companies, creating an array of products ranging from posters, leaflets, logos or product packaging to websites, apps and even animations. Designers need to understand the specific needs of their clients, and produce outcomes that work well for the particular products they were working with. Because many of the client’s aren’t trained in graphic design, and don’t necessarily know how to convey their messages through art, designers need to know how to do it for them, with minimal information provided.

Overall, the role of Graphic Designers in today’s society is essential, as all everyday products, such as food or furniture had some involvement from the industry. A successful designer will create outcomes that will attract a specific target audience to a product, making it more desirable just through the visual aesthetics. 

Sources: 1, 2, 3