What is Graphic Designer: Courses, Skills, Salary & Career

Before we begin explaining what a graphic designer is? It is much more important first to understand what graphic design is to understand what is a graphic designer. As a result, graphic design can be defined as the art and practice of planning and portraying thoughts and experiences through textual and visual content. Graphic design, in its most basic form, communicates ideas or messages visually. 

Now that you understand what graphic design is, let's move on to what a graphic designer is. 

What is a Graphic Designer?

A graphic designer is someone who creates visuals for a wide range of projects, from websites to print ads, to attract clients' attention through digital and physical designs that typically incorporate graphics, images, art, and other visual elements.   

Graphic designers ensure that their designs accurately represent the intended meaning and convey information by maintaining constant communication with clients. Some of the skills a graphic designer should have :  

1. Desktop Publishing 

1. Branding and Advertising 

1. Email Blasts and eNewsletters 

1. Interface or User Experience Design 

1. Web Design 

1. Product Packaging 

1. Book Design 

1. Logos 

1. Print or Web Production 
2. Typography 

In a nutshell, "a graphic designer is a person whose main goal and objective are to design a project based on a client's specific needs. He/she consults with a client before beginning the project's design phase to determine the project's overall goal, purpose, and desired appearance." 

Now, you might be wondering, what sort of people choose graphic designer as their career prospect, or is the right career for you? Defiantly, this is a career for someone who wants to have a creative career in the visual design field that includes cooperating with other creative people or working directly with clients.

Here's the image for better understanding:

Now that we know what a graphic designer is, let's look at what does a graphic designer do? 

What Does a Graphic Designer Do?

Typically, a graphic designer's job begins with rough graphic design ideas, either by hand sketching or using a computer program or tools such as Adobe Illustrator, Affinity Designer, Adobe Photoshop, Canva, Adobe InDesign, and many others.  

Once the rough design is completed, a graphic designer uses various technology or tools to create visual concepts to transmit messages through photos and art.  

Some of the common tools used by a graphic designer are: 

Tools	Description
Adobe Illustrator	A vector graphics editor and design program developed and marketed by Adobe Inc.
Affinity Designer	A vector graphics editor developed by Serif for macOS, iPadOS, and Microsoft Windows.
Adobe Photoshop	A raster graphics editor developed and published by Adobe Inc. for Windows and macOS.
Canva	An Australian graphic design platform, used to create posters, documents and other visual content.
Adobe InDesign	A desktop publishing and page layout designing software application produced by Adobe Inc.

The work of a graphic designer mainly depends on the requirements of the client or company. But in a broad sense, a graphic designer's responsibilities include creating visual content to promote a marketing campaign, developing brochures, magazines, and corporate reports, formulating the design for a print ad, retouching photos for digital displays, and so on.  

Aside from these, a graphic designer has a variety of other responsibilities. Some of the graphic design requirements skills are: 

1. Meet with clients and determine the scope of a project  

1. Advise clients on strategies to reach a particular audience  

1. Advise clients on strategies and messages 

1. Create images that identify a product or convey a message  

1. Develop graphics and audio/videos for product illustrations, logos, and websites  

1. Choose colors, images, text style, and layout  

1. Present the design to clients or the art director  

1. Incorporate changes recommended by the clients into the final design  

1. Review designs and send them error-free  

Why should you choose graphic designer as a career option

 There are various reasons to become a graphic designer. Some of those reasons are: 

1. A good salary. Beginners can expect to earn around Rs. 2-3 LPA, while those with 5+ years of experience can expect to earn around Rs. 5 - 10 LPA. 
2. Increase in no. of jobs. Graphic designers in computer systems design and related services are expected to grow by 20%, creating numerous job opportunities. 
3. Collaborate with the best companies. Because of the increasing workload, businesses such as Google, Facebook, LinkedIn, Microsoft, Twitter, and Monster frequently hire graphic designers. 
4. Extra income. You can earn extra income by doing freelancing work.  
5. Keep on growing. Discover the best and most recent industry standard software. 

Can anyone become a graphic designer?

There are no specific educational requirements to become a graphic designer; anyone who has completed their 10+2 in any stream (Science/ Commerce/ Arts) can pursue a graphic design course and become a graphic designer.

Freshers usually go for a certification course to acquire the required skills and knowledge to begin their careers as graphic designers, and having a certification can provide them with better opportunities. A certification can help those freshers to demonstrate their dedication to superior professional standards, maintaining industry standards, and ongoing learning. But, freshers with no experience or knowledge of graphic design typically begin their careers in a junior/internship/apprenticeship role and then move to a graphic designer position.

However, candidates with a Bachelor’s degree in Graphic Design/Fine Arts/ Equivalent are preferred for both entry-level and advanced graphic design positions.

What skills are required to be a graphic designer?

There are a lot of technical and soft skills that a good graphic designer should possess. Some of the graphic designer key skills are:  

1. An eye for detail  
2. Audience targeting 
3. Color theory 
4. Capability to work independently and under pressure  
5. Openness to new ideas  
6. Website development 
7. Typography  
8. Interactive media  
9. Coding  
10. Branding  
11. Acceptance of constructive criticism  
12. Quick to react to changing trends  
13. Ability to balance projects and master time management  
14. Problem-solving skills  
15. Excellent communication skills  
16. Ability to maintain consistency and prove trustworthiness  
17. Willingness to try creative alternatives 

You can also explore this web story: The top 10 time management skills  

How to become a graphic designer?

If you want to work as a graphic designer or want to change careers, here are some basic steps to help you at various experience levels:

No Prior Knowledge  

If you are a recent graduate looking to begin your career as a digital marketing professional, you would:  

1. Take up basic art and design courses  
2. Enhance your artistic ability  
3. Improve your sketching  
4. Build a professional portfolio and demonstrate your styles and abilities  
5. Take up a certification in graphic design software  

Basic Knowledge  

1. Understand the basics of graphic design  
2. Pursue a graphic design course  
3. Learn Adobe programs like Adobe Illustrator, Adobe in Design, Adobe Photoshop, and others like Quark Xpress, FreeHand, 3D Studio Max, Acrobat, Director, Dreamweaver, and Flash.  
4. Follow popular graphic design websites and forums.  
5. Learn typography and work with layouts  

Intermediate Knowledge  

1. Gain knowledge about visual identity systems, branding touchpoints, and brand architecture  
2. Learn how to use graphic designing tools  
3. Seek inspiration from established designers  
4. Learn to work with cross-functional teams, including copywriters, designers, photographers, and marketing managers/executives  
5. Learn client management, work on your communication skills  
6. Work on your ideation skills  
7. Stay abreast of the latest design trends, technologies, and techniques 

Advanced Knowledge  

1. Take up any of the following programs like Desktop publishing, 2D and 3D design, Web Graphics, Digital photography, or Multimedia and animation to brush up your skills and advance in your career.  
2. Learn to perform market research and competition analysis  
3. Develop project management and people management skills

What do recruiters look for in a graphic designer?

Recruiters usually look for the following points while hiring a graphic designer:  

1. Prior experience: Any prior experience in designing can make the recruiters interested in you. It is also great to have transferable skills like communication and knowledge of any . If you do not have prior experience, a certification can help you achieve your dream of becoming a graphic designer
2.   Key Skills: Adobe Photoshop, Corel Draw, Adobe Illustrator, Image editing, and animation. 

What are the top recruiters that hire graphic designers?

As new technology is developed, the demand for graphic designers is rapidly increasing. Many well-known companies hire graphic designers to work on various projects such as advertising, marketing, manufacturing, web design, publishing, etc. Here are some of the top companies that hire graphic designers:  

1. Accenture 

1. IBM India 

1. Dell International 

1. Capgemini 

1. Quest Global 

1. Indecomm Technology 

1. Leo Burnett    

1. UnitedHealth Group 

1. Cognizant Technology 

1. Info Edge  

Apart from these, some of the famous graphic design companies in the world are: 

Pentagram 

1. Headquarters: London 

1. Locations: Austin, Berlin, New York and San Francisco 

1. Notable clients: Rolls-Royce, Starbucks, United Airlines, Warner Brothers, Windows, etc. 

1. Services offered: Brand identity, book design, campaigns, data visualization, digital design, editorial design, environmental graphics, exhibition design, etc. 

Landor 

1. Locations: Bangkok, Beijing, Cape Town, Chicago, Cincinnati, Dubai, Tokyo, etc. 

1. Notable clients: Apple, Australian Open, BMW, British Airways, FedEx, etc. 

1. Services offered: Adaptation and implementation, brand architecture, brand engagement, brand identity, etc. 

Meta Design 

1. Headquarters: San Francisco 

1. Locations: New York, Zurich, Beijing, Berlin, Dusseldorf, Geneva and Lausanne 

1. Notable clients: Adidas, Apple, Coca-Cola, DHL, Porsche, Volkswagen, etc. 

1. Services offered: Brand activation, brand creation, brand experience, brand strategy, etc. 

What is a graphic designer salary?

Graphic designer salaries in India range from Rs. 1.1 Lakhs to 7 Lakhs per year, with an average annual salary of 4.0 Lakhs. Though a graphic designer's career heavily depends on his or her creativity, a certification can help you get better job opportunities in the future, thus increasing your earning potential significantly.