You’d be surprised how a career in graphic designing can help you get a job in multiple fields. From creating marketing materials like flyers to designing computer games, the work of graphic designers is needed literally everywhere.

What does a graphic designer do?

A graphic designer combines art with text to communicate ideas through images. They make visual concepts that inspire, captivate or inform people with the help of eye-catching design elements. They can create graphics either by hand or through computer software. Just some of the things graphic designers make are:

  • Corporate communications like brochures and logos
  • Original illustrations
  • Product packaging
  • Advertisements
  • Website layout
  • Apparel design
  • Printed pages
  • Magazines
  • Displays
  • Posters
  • Books
  • Logos

The basic role of graphic designers is to choose the right image, font, colour and design and create something that matches the requirements of the client. The end objective is to market and sell products. That’s why graphic designers (also called graphic artists) often work along with the marketing, advertising or PR team.

 

What are the duties and responsibilities of graphic designers?

In simple words, the duty of a graphic designer is to work with written content and images. From choosing the length of headlines to how much white space to use, they look at every tiny detail to make sure the text and image match well.

When working on layouts of text-heavy material, they also collaborate with content writers to select whether the words should be in:

  • Paragraphs
  • Bullet points
  • Tables

Another role graphic designers have is converting stats and figures into diagrams and charts to make them easy to understand. A few other responsibilities you will have to fulfil in a graphic designing career are:

  • Meet with clients to understand the project.
  • Present design ideas and concepts to the client.
  • Use software for layout, editing and digital illustration to make the graphic.
  • Make any changes that the client asks for in the design.
  • Look for errors in the entire graphic design before sending it for publishing or printing.

 

Specializing in a graphic designing niche

In most cases, a career in graphic designing means you will work for a variety of industries. But you do have the option to specialise in one particular category.

For instance, you could go into book publication and design just jackets and covers. Or you could go into retail and make the packaging of products like face creams and serums. You can also teach graphic designing in schools, universities and institutes.

Some other sectors that require specialized graphic designers are:

  • Museums
  • Art exhibits
  • Architecture
  • Landscaping
  • Interior design
  • Industrial design

 

How do you become a graphic designer?

The first step to building a career in graphic design is getting the right qualification. You can choose a bachelor’s degree in graphic designing in Kolkata. But going to a college or university is costly and not required.

Most companies look at your creative flair, software knowledge and skills when hiring graphic designers, not your degree.A better and smarter choice is to get a certificate or diploma from the best graphic designing institute. 

A course in graphic designing takes only 6 months as compared to 3 years of a degree and you can join one right after 10+2. Moreover, the course fee can be as low as INR 30,000 while a full degree will cost youlakhs.

The second step in a graphic designing career is learning all the right tools. These include:

  • CorelDRAW
  • Photoshop
  • Illustrator
  • InDesign

Some basic knowledge of HTML and CSS gives you an added advantage. Furthermore, you should keep up to date with any new versions of the tools.

 

What qualities do you need for a successful graphic designing career?

Creativity and originality are a must if you want to land a high-paying job in graphic designing in Kolkata. But besides the artistic ability to create an illustration that holds attention, you also need:

  • Technical skills: The majority of graphic designing is done digitally now. So, you must be adept at designing software and tools.
  • Analytical ability: A graphic designer must be able to analyse a design from other people’s points of view. Then determine what is the best way to communicate an idea through illustrations.
  • Time-management: Often, designers work on several projects simultaneously. So, you must be capable of managing and finishing them within deadlines.
  • Communication skills: Since graphic designers have to talk to clients, customers and other team members, they should be able to express themselves well and explain their design vision.

 

Which industries have job opportunities for graphic designers?

The graphic design field is wide open for anyone. Pick any industry or sector, and you will find a job opportunity in it. Some of the prime sectors that need graphic designers are:

  • Television and films
  • Commercial packaging
  • Publishing houses
  • Printing firms
  • Marketing firms
  • Ad agencies
  • Design studios
  • Web designing companies
  • Multimedia businesses

 

What are some graphic designing jobs you can get?

After you’ve completed a graphic designing course in Kolkata, you can be placed as any one of the following:

  • Visualizer
  • Layout Designer
  • Digital Illustrator
  • Graphic Designer
  • Product Designer
  • Industrial Designer
  • UX and UI Designer
  • Front-End Web Designer
  • Multimedia Artists and Animators

The exact placement you get depends upon your skills and work experience. For instance, more experienced graphic designers can become Art Directors. They are responsible for the entire visual style of a film, TV show, ad, magazine or even newspaper.

salary

 

How much can you earn as a graphic designer?

We finally come to the question every student wants to know. Unfortunately, there is no fixed answer. The exact salary of a graphic designer is dependent on various factors:

  • What software does the person know?
  • What is their artistic ability?
  • How much experience do they have?
  • Do they have a certificate from the best graphic designing institute?

Typically, the pay scale during your career in graphic designing will range from INR 1,97,000 per annum to INR 7,43,000 per annum. As you move from an entry-level job to a senior-level job, the salary jumps considerably. And that’s a guarantee if you’re certified from a graphic design institute like Arena Park Street.