What Graphic Artists Do
A graphic artist or a graphic designer uses a variety of tools to assemble graphics, images, and other media to create a specific design. Rather than speaking their message, the graphic artist gets his or her mesage across in colors, illustrations, animation, photography and a variety of layout techniques. They may also be involved in the overall layout of a magazine, journal, website or corporate report.
The materials a graphic artist uses is varied but includes sound, animation, film, white space, illustrations and a variety of colors. Much of their work is created on the computer where they have a choice of many unique programs that they can use to create their final piece. It is a gratifying career for those that are technical and artistic at the same time.
Smaller graphic design shops may be limited to creating pamphlets, advertisements, catalogs and company logos, but this is often a great place to gain experience before the graphic artist applies for a position in a larger company or heads out on their own as a freelance designer. In a larger company, the graphic designer is typically involved in meeting with clients and management to gain a clear understanding of what is expected as an end result of the project.
The artist will have access to the company’s publishers as well as print shops so they can choose the perfect type of paper for the project they are working on. Many graphic artists work strictly on creating websites for businesses and individuals and charge a flat fee based on the design and the time it takes to build the website. Many of these graphic designers work as freelancers, which mean they have the capability of working out of their home, and this makes their work schedule entirely in their own hands.
Graphic artists jobs are expected to grow 13 percent through the year 2018, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Those with experience designing websites will be in the hottest demand since company websites continually need updates and “facelifts.” In addition, the technology used to create fast websites with superior graphics is always changing, so it is vital that the graphic designer keep their skills sharp when it comes to website design.