Graphic designer

Graphic designers create eye-catching visuals for print and digital channels to communicate an organisation's message or brand

As a graphic designer, you'll use your design skills in areas such as colour, composition, layout and typography to work on a variety of products and activities. These can include:

• websites, apps and social media channels
• adverts
• books, reports and magazines
• posters, flyers, banners and programmes
• billboards
• computer games
• product packaging
• exhibitions and displays
• corporate communications, campaigns and identity, i.e. giving organisations a visual brand.

After agreeing a brief with the client, creative director or account manager you'll develop appropriate creative ideas and concepts that meet the client's objectives.

The work demands creative flair, up-to-date knowledge of industry software and a professional approach to time, costs and deadlines.

Responsibilities

As a graphic designer you'll need to:

• meet clients or account managers to discuss the business objectives and requirements of the job
• estimate the time required to complete a job and provide quotes for clients
• develop and pitch design briefs that suit the client's purpose
• think creatively to produce new ideas and concepts and develop interactive design
• find innovative ways to redefine a design brief within time and cost constraints
• present finalised ideas and concepts to clients or account managers
• work with a range of media, including computer-aided design (CAD), and keep up to date with emerging technologies
• proofread to produce accurate and high-quality work
• demonstrate illustrative skills with rough sketches and work on layouts ready for print
• commission illustrators and photographers
• work as part of a team with printers, copywriters, photographers, stylists, illustrators, other designers, account executives, web developers, and advertising and marketing specialists.

Salary

• Starting salaries for junior graphic designers are in the region of £18,000 to £23,000. Once you've gained experience, salaries can rise to around £27,000.
• At a middle level, you can expect to earn between £25,000 and £38,000.
• Salaries for senior graphic designers or creative leads can range from £35,000 to £55,000. A creative director can make £60,000+.
• As a freelancer, you can earn between £200 and £400 a day depending on your experience, a proven track record and recommendations from clients.

Salaries vary depending on a range of factors such as type of employer, sector, location, level of experience and responsibility, and reputation. The best paid jobs are usually in London and other large cities.

Specialist recruitment agencies such as Gabriele and Represent provide insights into current salaries.

Income figures are intended as a guide only.

Working hours

Working hours are typically 37 to 40 hours a week, with some flexibility around start and finish times. It's likely that you'll have to work extra hours when deadlines are approaching.

Part-time work opportunities exist but may be hard to find. You'll need several years' experience and a network of professional contacts to become self-employed.

What to expect

• You'll often be based in a shared studio or office as some jobs involve working in teams, although you may also work alone on occasions. If you're a freelancer you could share offices, rent studio space or work from home.
• Design work often involves sitting and working at a computer for long periods of time.
• Job satisfaction comes from creating high-quality artwork, seeing your designs in use and building a reputation.
• Jobs are available in major UK cities and towns. There may also be opportunities to work abroad.
• Although work is mostly studio-based, you may need to travel to meet clients.

Qualifications

Relevant subjects for graphic design work include those that involve visual arts. In particular, a degree, foundation degree or HND in the following subjects may increase your chances:

• art and design
• fine art
• graphic design
• illustration
• product design
• photography
• visual communication.

Any design-based course that gives you a good grounding and knowledge of design, art history and printing techniques is useful.

It's vital to build up a strong portfolio of work alongside your degree to show to potential employers. This will add value to your qualifications and highlight your talent and passion for the career.

You should also have a strong knowledge of relevant Adobe Creative Cloud design software, such as Adobe Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop and After Effects, especially if these weren't covered within your degree.

You may be able to get a job without a degree or HND if you have a strong enough portfolio of work. However, progress without some kind of formal training can be difficult.

A pre-entry postgraduate qualification isn't needed, but pre-entry experience is essential.

Skills

In addition to technical and design skills, you'll need:

• passion and enthusiasm for design with a creative flair
• a flexible approach when working in a team
• effective networking skills to build contacts
• the ability to create and manage good working relationships with colleagues and clients
• excellent communication skills to interpret and negotiate briefs with clients
• good presentation skills and the confidence to explain and sell ideas to clients and colleagues
• time management and organisational skills
• accuracy and attention to detail when finalising designs
• good general IT skills, particularly MS Office (PowerPoint, Outlook, Word, Excel)
• a willingness to accept feedback and suggestions for improvements
• project management skills to work on several projects at the same time
• self-motivation and the determination to undertake further training and develop your career as a graphic designer.

If you're working on web content, it's also useful to have a basic knowledge of HTML, CSS and JavaScript.

Work experience

Internship or placement experience is extremely useful, especially if you have a reference who can recommend you and provide evidence of what you've done.

The most valuable work experience comes from involvement in a live project, along with building a portfolio of your work. Try to include a mix of commercial work and self-initiated projects, as well as a range of print and digital work.

If you can't find a work placement, consider approaching voluntary organisations to see if you can work on their communications and campaigns. Student societies may also welcome your design skills to help promote their activities.

Having your portfolio assessed while at university can be helpful as it will give you the chance to talk confidently about your work, which you'll need to do at job interviews. A student assessment scheme is offered by the International Society of Typographic Designers (ISTD). Any experience that allows you to practise your presentation skills is also valuable.

You can become a member of the Chartered Society of Designers (CSD) while studying. This gives you access to other designers for networking purposes. Membership also provides access to events and resources that will help you to keep up to date with developments in the industry.

Find out more about the different kinds of work experience and internships that are available.

Employers

The majority of vacancies are found in agencies specialising in advertising design, including identity and event branding or corporate communication.

You can also find roles within in-house design teams of various businesses and organisations, including:

• computer games companies
• design groups
• educational establishments
• local government
• magazines
• manufacturing companies
• multimedia companies
• packaging industry
• publishing companies
• television.

Look for job vacancies at:

• CampaignJobs
• Creativepool Jobs
• Design Business Association (DBA) Jobs Board
• Design Jobs Board

Some job websites advertise internships as well as permanent jobs for qualified graphic designers.

As well as looking on agency websites, you could also register with a specialist design recruitment agency, such as Gabriele.

Professional networking sites such as LinkedIn also advertise vacancies.

It's common to make speculative applications, either for internship positions or junior designer roles. Recruitment agency Represent has compiled The Ideal Candidate, a project where some of the leading studios share what they're looking for and what you can do to make sure you stand out.

Other tips for making speculative approaches include:

• matching your portfolio to the design agency - research the agency and select relevant, appropriate pieces
• create an effective website and business card
• make sure any images you send are clear, not pixelated and that the PDF is no bigger than 8 to 10MB
• address your email to a named person.

Professional development

Most learning is on the job, except for formal training in industry-specific software. As a graphic designer, you'll need to be skilled in using a variety of packages, including Adobe Creative Cloud design software.

Some employers fund training courses for you, but if you're freelance or self-employed you'll need to organise and pay for training yourself. You'll often learn new skills to meet the demands of a particular project. Relevant courses are available from creative organisations such as D&AD.

It's essential that you keep learning throughout your career to keep up to date with advances in graphic technology. It's also helpful to read the latest industry news, such as Design Week.

Membership of professional bodies can enhance your knowledge by providing access to useful resources, advice and training. Relevant organisations include:

• Chartered Society of Designers (CSD)
• International Society of Typographic Designers (ISTD).

As a member of the CSD, you can be included on their 'Find-a-Designer' directory for clients and employers.

You may choose to work towards chartership with the CSD. To achieve chartered designer status in graphic design, you need to prove you're operating professionally and that you meet required competences. The process involves a professional portfolio and review. Find out more at CSD - Chartership.

Career prospects

You'll typically start your career as a junior graphic designer, assisting senior designers and developing your skills and knowledge. At this stage, developing a reputation, networking and making contacts are important.

You first few jobs will act as stepping stones as you take on more responsibility and progress to a graphic designer role. At this point, you will be producing new ideas and creating content for a range of projects.

Once you reach senior graphic designer level, your role will become more strategic, and you will be leading design projects and mentoring junior designers. In large design partnerships, it may be possible to achieve promotion from designer to management positions, such as studio manager or creative director.

In general, you will need to move jobs to progress your career in order to widen your experience and develop your portfolio. You'll have to think strategically about career moves and consider the development opportunities within each role.

With experience, it's possible to become self-employed if you've built up a good reputation and network of contacts. Gaining chartered status with the CSD can help with career progression as it shows you're working at a specific professional level.