What is this Industry?

It's graphic communications, digital communications, visual communications, and graphic arts. It's everywhere you look. In your room it’s the CD liner, textbooks, game boxes and manuals.
In the kitchen it’s the potato chip bag, soda cans, cereal box, and the refrigerator magnets.
In the den it’s the magazines and novels, the TV guide, an art reproduction hanging on the wall, the buttons on the phone. In the bathroom it’s the toothpaste tube, the tissue box, the shampoo bottle, the aspirin bottle label. Outside it’s the billboard, the sign on the bus, the sign in the store windows, street signs. And, oh yeah, it’s the checks, credit cards or bills used to buy all this stuff! but, it’s not only print, words and images on paper, metal, glass, plastic… It’s also the words, images, audio on CD roms, interactive software, and web sites! It’s growing every day! 3 out of 5 design companies are actively recruiting new employees! Some say 65,000 jobs are available RIGHT NOW!

Graphic Designer

Graphic designers plan, analyze, and create visual solutions to communications problems.  Using various computer software packages, they design graphics to meet specific commercial or promotional needs, such as packaging, displays, or logos.  They decide the most effective way of getting a message across using a variety of methods such as color, type, illustration, photography, animation, and various print and layout techniques.

Desktop Publisher

Using computer software, desktop publishers format and combine text, numerical data, photographs, charts, and other visual graphic elements to produce publication-ready material.  Desktop publishers may also create graphics to accompany text, convert photographs and drawings into digital images, design page layout, design presentations or advertising campaigns.

Web Designer

Web designers are responsible for the layout, visual appearance and usability of a web site.  Using a combination of graphic design skills and technical knowledge, web designers produce a site that will be attractive to the target user, have a logical navigation system and all the features required by the user.

Career Areas for Graphic Designers, Web Designers, and Desktop Publishers include: 

• Advertising and Related Services
• Printing and Related Support Activities
• Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers
• Technical Design
• Wide variety of industries including:  government, health care, education, and business
• Freelance and Consulting