Graphic designer

Graphic designer

Graphic designers Gabriel and Maxim Shamir
Occupation
Names	Creative director, art director
Occupation type	Profession
Activity sectors	Advertising, book design, branding, illustration, page layout, typography, webcomic, web design
Description
Competencies	Technical knowledge, cultural relevance, art history
Related jobs	Production artist, graphic artist, website designer, desktop publishing

A graphic designer is a professional within the graphic design and graphic arts industry who assembles together images, typography, or motion graphics to create a piece of design. A graphic designer creates the graphics primarily for published, printed or electronic media, such as brochures (sometimes) and advertising. They are also sometimes responsible for typesetting, illustration, user interfaces, and web design. A core responsibility of the designer's job is to present information in a way that is both accessible and memorable.

A degree or certificate from an accredited trade school is usually considered essential for a graphic design position. After a career history has been established, though, the graphic designer's experience and number of years in the business are considered the primary qualifications. A portfolio, which is the primary method for demonstrating these qualifications, is usually required to be shown at job interviews, and is constantly developed throughout a designer's career.

One can obtain an AAS, BA, BFA, BCA, MFA or an MPhil / PhD in graphic design. Degree programs available vary depending upon the institution, although typical U.S. graphic design jobs require at least some form of degree.

Current graphic designer jobs demand proficiency in one or more graphic design software programs. A common software package used in the graphic design industry is Adobe Creative Cloud. This software package contains the three main programs used by graphic designers, which are Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign. Photoshop, InDesign, and Illustrator are the industry standard applications for many graphic design positions. Another example of a common software package is CorelDraw Graphics Suite.