Graphic design combines technology with art. This may sound quite specific, but when you take a step back, you can see how diverse the graphic design field truly is. Graphic designers need to be creative as well as tech-savvy. However, there are various job roles available for those who crave a career in graphic design. In this article, we will explore ten exciting job titles in the graphic design industry, learning more about what each role entails.
1. Animator
The role of an animator is linked with the role of motion graphic designers. These professionals create films and visual effects, in various moving formats, by sequencing images and drawings to bring their graphic designs to life. Usually, an animator would work for a production company, computer game company or animation studio.
These eye-catching graphics created by the animator are usually used in advertising to communicate a brand’s message. It should be noted that opportunities for motion graphic designers and animators are not limited to the film and television industry, because many other industries offer these types of positions as well.
Businesses looking to create a moving visual have an increased demand for these professionals. Some examples of different industries that seek animators are technical services, publishing industries, educational services and scientific services.
2. UX Designer
User experience designers optimize and improve the interaction between people and products. UX designers usually work as part of a product team and will find themselves as the bridge between the user and the development team. Their job is to advocate for the customer.
Whether they are designing a new product, such as an app, or simply making changes to an existing service, such as a website and making it easy to navigate, they need to consider what is best for the customer and their overall user experience.
On top of this, they are also responsible for making sure that the product and/or service meets the needs of the business. Does it align with the brand’s message? Will it help to increase profits? This is what makes the role a bridge-like position between the consumer and the company.
The focus is on considering the intended end-use of the product to ensure a user-friendly outcome. UX designers will test to see if something has a logical step-by-step flow. They test the product or service out and then resolve any issues.
3. Art Director
An art director in the graphic design field is usually a high-level role, responsible for guiding the design team’s vision. This executive role involves overseeing the design artwork and directing the theme and concept of the project.
Art directors are found and needed in industries including television, fashion, print publications and marketing. The art director may be employed by the brand or as a freelancer, but they always work closely with the sales team to understand their artistic vision.
The job role’s main duties are to develop an overall style of an advertising campaign, publication or even on-screen set. They determine the representation of a visual concept through deciding on imagery and art. To add to that, they have the final say on designs made by other creatives working on the project.
4. Web Designer
A website designer’s duty is to develop the design of a website. This may include the creation of pages on the site, the layout of each page, and visual graphics for the web pages. Focusing on website structure and navigation. They also aid with the design of navigation menus and drop-down options.
Web designers need to not only have visual creativity skills but be knowledgeable with digital software and the latest technologies. An important part of the role is to register website domain names. Having coding and programming skills will enable the web designer to design a website from scratch.
Similar to UX designers, web designers need to understand user interfaces. The most talented web designers manage to blend technical abilities with creativity in developing websites, apps or software that enhance the digital world.
5. Production Artist
The role of a production artist is to carry out a design concept, in the form of print production or digital design. A production artist executes the concept to a high quality.
Being an essential member of the creative team, also known as a doer, who goes with their design vision, and produce a finished product on time which meets the branding’s message.
Production artists then take their designed concept and make sure it works for various formats so that it can be displayed in different ways. These different formats may include billboards, social media posts or brochures.
The production artist may collaborate closely with art directors or other graphic designers. However, an art director or graphic designer will oversee the entirety of a project whilst the production artist makes the design deliverables happen. It’s all about that finished result.
6. Book Designer
Working for authors, a book designer’s role, you guessed it, is to design books. Yet not the copy of course, that is the author’s role, instead, they design the book’s visuals. They develop both exterior covers and interior layouts of books.
Typesetting, also known as the interior design of a book, is often designed by a book designer through software such as InDesign. In terms of the book cover, book designers tend to create illustrations or imagery which represent the content and tone of the story, in one single graphic. This is a high-value skill.
The book designer’s goal is to draw the reader in with eye-catching designs. Other responsibilities of a book designer may include concept development, design research, thumbnail sketches, art production and proofreading, preparation for printing and electronic file submission.
7. Brand Identity Designer
As one of the most common types of graphic designers, brand identity designers play a vital role in building the brand identity of a company. A strong brand identity is vital to the success of a company. Brand identity can shape all aspects of a brand’s marketing strategies as well as have an impact on a customer’s experience.
Brand identity designers need innovation and creativity to be successful. It’s important to have a full understanding of the company’s target demographic and company goals for the brand identity designer to be successful.
They may create a brand identity through visual images such as logos, graphics, colour palettes or social media posts. On the other hand, they can focus on a brand’s copy such as taglines, typography, or blog posts.
8. Layout Artist
Layout artists create the visual elements which appear in published or digital materials. These materials could include magazines, newspapers or books. The artist’s responsibilities may also involve creating drawings or sketches of their designs to us in marketing campaigns.
The layout artist works closely with writers and editors to determine how content should be presented on a page or on a screen. Their focus is on the structure opposed to the content. Layout artists put their artistic vision forward to deliver engaging material to their clients.
9. Photoshop Artist
Graphic designers who specialise in Photoshop are generally successful because it is an extremely desired skill, useful in most industries. Photoshop artists typically work in advertising and marketing and have taken courses to understand the software in depth.
Their role may involve prepping images for print, manipulating photographs, creating graphics or simply retouching images. These finished designs can be used here there and everywhere. Photoshop artists need a clear understanding of colour theory and typography in order to create aesthetically pleasing designs.
In Photoshop you create a composition of several layers, design graphics, manage colour at the pixel level and remove backgrounds. Photoshop Artists are in high demand across many industries.
10. Professor
Graphic design is a fast-adapting profession. To prepare the next generation of graphic designers, colleges, universities and training courses need graphic designers with experience and knowledge to teach the younger generation how to enter the world of graphic design.
If you’ve worked in the field for many years and find yourself drawn to the human side of design, then a profession in teaching graphic design may be for you.
Final Thoughts
The world of graphic design comes with a vast range of job opportunities. The list of job titles can seem overwhelming at first glance but fear not because the majority of graphic designer’s do not specialise in a particular field until later in their career. Of course, specialising in a niche skill will lead to a higher salary.
If you are just starting out then the best possibility is to learn the basics of every field, until you find what you are most skilled at and what you find most enjoyable. A skilled graphic designer will create graphic elements for service design, with the use of layout, spacing, colour, type and iconography, ensuring that content is useable and readable for consumer and audience interaction.
No matter where your interests lie, if you have technological creativity then there will most certainly be a role in the graphic design field that suits you.